Indore Metro gets ₹5,388 crore boost; MP Cabinet clears cyber centre in Bhopal
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, on Tuesday, 16 June approved an additional ₹5,388 crore for the Indore Metro Rail Project, raising its total estimated cost to approximately ₹12,889 crore. The revised outlay accounts for updated alignments — including underground sections — and cost escalations accumulated over time.
Indore Metro: Revised Cost and Timeline
The 31-km Metro corridor is now expected to be fully operational by 2030-31, according to Chetanya Kumar Kashyap, Minister for MSME, who addressed media after the Cabinet meeting. The underground stretches, which necessitated the alignment revision, were cited as the primary driver behind the cost increase. The project, when complete, is set to transform urban mobility in Indore, Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital.
Cyber Security Centre for Bhopal
In a separate decision, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a Cyber Security Centre in Bhopal. The facility will focus on citizen awareness programmes, training initiatives, and modern digital infrastructure to counter rising cyber threats. This comes amid a nationwide uptick in cybercrime cases, making the move a timely intervention for a state with a rapidly expanding digital footprint.
Health Infrastructure and PPP Model
A significant health-sector reform was also cleared: a pilot Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model will be introduced to operate 18 Community Health Centres — each with more than 20 beds — across Rewa, Dewas, and Guna districts. Under this arrangement, private operators will deploy specialist doctors and trained staff, while the state government retains ownership of the facilities and continues to supply medicines.
Separately, a new policy will incentivise charitable trusts, religious institutions, and corporate CSR funds to set up super-speciality hospitals in the state. The government will offer land and capital grants calibrated to regional healthcare needs, with a focus on underserved smaller districts. A five-member ministerial committee has been tasked with finalising the operational guidelines.
Schemes Worth ₹24,200 Crore Continued
The Cabinet also approved the continuation of welfare and development schemes totalling ₹24,200 crore. The package includes Project Tiger, labour welfare programmes, ₹687 crore earmarked for tribal student education, and ₹639 crore for sericulture promotion aimed at boosting integrated farming, industry, and rural employment.
On administrative matters, the deadline for the employee transfer portal was extended by one day to midnight to ensure smooth processing.
State Achievements and National Recognition
Chief Minister Yadav used the Cabinet session to highlight recent accolades earned by the state. Madhya Pradesh received the Excellence in Tourism Award at a major conclave in Mumbai for successfully organising over 20 conferences and driving tourism growth. The state's Renewable Energy Department was also recognised at the Global Wind Day event in Goa for infrastructure development.
Notably, the Chief Minister extended congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completing 12 years and 4,399 days in office, and highlighted that Madhya Pradesh received special appreciation at a recent NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi for becoming Naxal-free ahead of the set deadline. The state's performance under Ayushman Bharat and its industrialisation record were also commended at the national level.
With the Metro cost revision finalised and new health and cyber infrastructure on the anvil, the Cabinet's decisions signal a broad push across urban mobility, public health, and digital safety — sectors that will define Madhya Pradesh's development trajectory through the decade.