Bhopal, Jan 6 (NationPress) The Cabinet of Madhya Pradesh convened on Tuesday to greenlight an impressive array of infrastructure, road connectivity, and irrigation initiatives, valued at several thousand crores, with a dedicated emphasis on rural and tribal development.

For enhanced rural connectivity, the Cabinet has approved projects to construct nearly 20,000 km of new roads and 1,200 bridges, estimated to cost Rs 17,196 crore.

Furthermore, the Cabinet sanctioned the renovation of 8,8517 km of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana from 2026 to 2031, with a budget of Rs 10,000 crore.

Special focus was placed on tribal and rural areas.

The Cabinet also confirmed the extension of road and bridge projects under the Tribal Justice Mega Campaign, an initiative linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's programs, including adaptations of the PM Jan Dhan Yojana for the Bhil, Sahariya, and other tribal communities across 22 districts. This phase encompasses 1,039 km of roads and 112 small bridges at a cost of Rs 795 crore, as reported by MSME Minister Chaitanya Kashyap after the Cabinet meeting.

Moreover, substantial attention was directed towards irrigation infrastructure in the Burhanpur district.

A medium irrigation project, valued at Rs 922 crore, aims to irrigate 17,700 hectares, while a larger initiative in the Nepanagar Assembly constituency, costing Rs 1,676 crore, will cover 34,100 hectares.

Approximately 22,600 farmer families will benefit from these development projects, Minister Kashyap noted.

In addition, under the Narmada Valley Development Authority, the multi-purpose Narmada-Shipra Link Project (costing Rs 2,489.65 crore) and the Badnawar Micro Lift Irrigation Scheme (valued at Rs 1,520 crore) were awarded to their respective project companies. The funding will be converted to equity, benefitting farmers in the area through lift irrigation, added the Minister.

Both projects have been designed to assist tribal families in Madhya Pradesh, he explained.

“Burhanpur district, currently ranked 41, has been prioritized for these initiatives,” he clarified.

In a move towards digital governance, tablets were distributed to all Ministers during the meeting.

The BJP-led government declared that after the next two Cabinet meetings, all operations will transition to a fully digital tablet-based system, positioning Madhya Pradesh as a leader in paperless Cabinet functioning, the Minister stated.

The Cabinet also reaffirmed its commitment as 2025 will be recognized as the Year of Industry and Employment, with a future focus on agriculture and agro-based industries.

Special innovations and schemes will be prioritized for tribal-dominant regions to foster inclusive growth.