CM Mohan Yadav Distributes ₹365 Cr to Workers at Seoni Dhan Mahotsav
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav attended the 'Dhan Mahotsav' in Seoni on 1 July 2026, where he distributed procurement bonuses to 3,941 farmers under the Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana and transferred ₹365 crore in financial assistance to over 16,000 unorganised labour families under the Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) 2.0 scheme. The event also saw the inauguration and foundation-laying of 629 development works worth over ₹494 crore.
Context
The Dhan Mahotsav is a district-level festival in Seoni, a district in eastern Madhya Pradesh, combining millet promotion activities with direct benefit transfers and infrastructure announcements. At the event, Dr. Yadav distributed kodo-kutki procurement bonuses to 3,941 farmers under the Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana, which incentivises cultivation of millets — crops traditionally grown by tribal communities in the region. Speaking at the event, he said the government is working with the goal of empowering farmers through 'modern technology, better machinery, and scientific farming.'
Policy Backdrop
The Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana is rooted in Madhya Pradesh's push to expand millet procurement incentives, a focus that gained national momentum following the 2023 International Year of Millets. The scheme provides direct bonuses to farmers who sell millet crops such as kodo and kutki through official procurement channels, aiming to make these nutritionally rich crops economically viable for small and tribal farmers.
The Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) 2.0 scheme is an updated version of the original Sambal Yojana, first launched in 2018 to extend social security to unorganised workers across the state. The 2.0 iteration continues to deliver financial assistance — including ex-gratia support — directly into beneficiary accounts, with the ₹365 crore transfer at Seoni among its recent disbursals.
Stakeholders and Impact
The immediate beneficiaries include 3,941 millet farmers receiving procurement bonuses and over 16,000 labour families receiving ex-gratia assistance under Sambal 2.0. Both groups are drawn largely from rural and tribal households in and around Seoni district. The 629 development projects worth over ₹494 crore — spanning inaugurations and foundation-laying ceremonies — are expected to generate local employment and improve infrastructure in the region over the medium term.
The Dhan Mahotsav format, combining cash transfers with project launches, reflects a wider state strategy of using district-level events to deliver visible welfare outcomes directly to beneficiaries, particularly in tribal and millet-growing belts of Madhya Pradesh.
What's Next
The rollout of similar disbursals under the Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana and Sambal 2.0 in other districts of Madhya Pradesh will be closely watched as indicators of the schemes' statewide reach. Any mention of these programmes in the next state budget or agricultural policy announcements will signal their long-term fiscal commitment. The government's stated emphasis on modern agricultural technology and scientific farming methods points to further capacity-building initiatives for small-holder farmers in the pipeline.