MP Cabinet clears ₹29,540 crore for infrastructure, healthcare and pensions
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at the Mantralaya in Bhopal on 11 May, approved financial allocations exceeding ₹29,540 crore across infrastructure, healthcare, irrigation, and social security. The decisions, taken at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, represent one of the largest single-sitting expenditure approvals by the state government in recent memory.
Finance Department Allocations
The single largest block — ₹15,598 crore — was sanctioned for publicly funded programmes and schemes under the Finance Department for the tenure of the 16th Central Finance Commission, covering April 2026 to March 2031. Of this, ₹13,818.32 crore will go toward settling pending liabilities, ₹1,096.45 crore toward accounts training schools, asset maintenance, divisional offices, and IT-related projects, and ₹683.50 crore for establishing treasuries across the state.
Urban Infrastructure and Road Construction
Urban connectivity received a significant push with ₹6,900 crore approved for the construction and upgradation of municipal roads. Of this, ₹2,100 crore is earmarked for new construction and upgradation, while ₹4,800 crore will reinforce existing road networks. The Cabinet also approved price adjustments for asphalt paving works under ₹10 crore and monthly rate adjustments in EPC and HAM projects executed by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC), aimed at accelerating road construction timelines. Separately, the construction cost of a multi-level parking facility at the High Court in Jabalpur, estimated at ₹94.16 crore, was exempted from departmental index calculations.
Social Security and Pension Support
In the social security sector, ₹6,115.99 crore was sanctioned for pensions under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, ensuring monthly financial support for elderly citizens living below the poverty line. The Cabinet also raised the discretionary grant for Ministers of State from ₹16,000 to ₹25,000 per case, allowing greater flexibility in addressing local and constituency-level needs.
Healthcare Expansion
Healthcare infrastructure in Budni, Sehore district received a revised sanction of ₹763.40 crore for establishing MBBS, nursing, and paramedical colleges. The plan includes a new medical college with 100 MBBS seats, a 500-bed hospital, and dedicated nursing and paramedical colleges — a move that could significantly expand medical education access in the Vindhya-Malwa belt.
Irrigation and Agricultural Support
Irrigation facilities in Neemuch district will be strengthened through the Khumansingh Shivaji Reservoir Micro-Irrigation Project, approved at a cost of ₹163.95 crore. The project is set to benefit 22 villages and bring 5,200 hectares of farmland under improved irrigation cover. With Madhya Pradesh being a major agricultural state, sustained irrigation investment is seen as critical to farmer income stability. The Cabinet's sweeping approvals signal an aggressive pre-monsoon push to lock in developmental spending ahead of the next budget cycle.