Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh attended the Dhan Mahotsav (Paddy Festival) in Seoni on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, where he transferred a bonus of Rs 282.99 lakh to 3,941 Kodo-Kutki millet farmers under the Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana, and disbursed Rs 365 crore in welfare assistance to 16,754 labour families under Mukhya Mantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) 2.0.

Context

The Dhan Mahotsav served as the backdrop for a multi-scheme disbursement event in Seoni, a district in eastern Madhya Pradesh with a substantial tribal population and a long tradition of cultivating minor millets such as Kodo and Kutki. CM Dr. Yadav transferred the bonus amounts directly into beneficiary bank accounts, in line with the state government's direct-benefit-transfer model. He also inaugurated and performed bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking) for approximately 629 development works worth Rs 494.16 crore for residents of the region.

Policy Backdrop

The Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana is a state scheme that provides production incentives and bonuses to farmers growing millets, named after the 16th-century Gond queen Rani Durgavati, who ruled the region that includes present-day Seoni. Madhya Pradesh has promoted millet cultivation under successive programmes since the early 2010s, and the current Shri Anna branding aligns with the national push for millet-based nutrition security. The Mukhya Mantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) Yojana was originally launched in 2018 to extend social security to unorganised sector workers; its 2.0 version expands the coverage and the quantum of anugraha sahayata (gratuitous relief) available to labour families during hardship.

Stakeholders and Impact

The 3,941 Kodo-Kutki farmers receiving the bonus are primarily smallholders in Seoni's tribal hinterland, for whom minor millet cultivation is a primary livelihood. The Rs 282.99 lakh bonus is intended to incentivise continued production of these nutritionally rich, drought-resistant crops. Separately, the 16,754 unorganised labour families receiving Rs 365 crore under Sambal 2.0 represent the informal workforce — construction workers, domestic workers, and daily-wage earners — who lack formal employment protections. The 629 development works spanning infrastructure, roads, and civic amenities worth Rs 494.16 crore are expected to benefit the broader population of Seoni district.

What's Next

The state government is expected to roll out further phases of bonus disbursement under the millet promotion scheme as the procurement season progresses across other tribal districts. Progress on the 629 sanctioned works in Seoni will be a key indicator of the administration's delivery capacity at the district level. With CM Dr. Mohan Yadav having taken office in December 2023, events like the Dhan Mahotsav signal the government's intent to maintain high visibility on both agricultural welfare and labour security ahead of ongoing rural outreach efforts.