The State Cabinet here on Monday accorded an administrative approval of Rs 592.30 crore for Simhastha for civil works for the establishment of a new Government Medical College in Ujjain.

The Cabinet approved payment of bonus of Rs 125 per quintal on wheat procured from farmers at support price in Rabi marketing year 2024-25 to provide remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce. This will entail a financial burden of Rs 3850 crore. It was decided to shift the office of the Head of the Department, Director of Religious Trust and Endowment and Director, Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana Satpura Bhavan along with the currently posted staff to Ujjain.

The Cabinet has given approval for a government guarantee of Rs 29 thousand 400 crore for the procurement of food grains, operation of public distribution system and other government schemes and meeting the deficit under the Support Price Decentralized Scheme in the coming financial year 2024-25 for the period from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 (one year).

Administrative approval of Rs 592.30 crore was given for the civil works for the construction of a new Government Medical College to strengthen the health services in view of the Simhastha 2028 in Ujjain. Approval of necessary equipment and human resources for this will be given later. With the construction of a medical college, the people of nearby districts will also benefit from high level medical facilities. The Cabinet ratified the appointment of Justice Satendra Kumar Singh to the post of Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh. Ratification and approval was given to extend the territorial jurisdiction of Cyber Tehsil to all the districts. Under the NDB scheme, revised administrative approval of Rs 305.08 crore was given for the strengthening and upgradation of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Nagar Marg (Kolar Marg 15.1 km) of Bhopal.

Advance storage plan of urea, DAP, complex and potash fertilisers was approved for 2024-25 to 2026-27 ensuring availability of chemical fertilisers to the farmers. Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Markfed) has been designated as nodal agency. In 2024-25, government guarantee of Rs 850 crore was approved to Markfed.

A revised administrative approval of Rs 1167.95 crore was given for the operation of new government medical colleges of Neemuch, Mandsaur, Sheopur and Singrauli and purchase of equipment. Rs 287.45 crore has been approved for Neemuch, Rs 288.5 crore for Sheopur, Rs 289.74 crore for Singrauli and Rs 302.26 crore for Mandsaur.

The Cabinet has given administrative approval of Rs 192.40 crore for the establishment of new nursing colleges along with medical colleges under the centrally sponsored scheme. Nursing colleges will be built in 13 districts -  Datia, Khandwa, Ratlam, Shahdol, Vidisha, Chhindwara, Shivpuri, Satna, Rajgarh, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Sheopur and Singrauli. Rs 14.80 crore has been sanctioned for each nursing college. With this, all the citizens of these districts and nearby areas will be able to avail the benefit of medical facilities and the students will be able to easily get education in nursing cadre.

The Cabinet has approved operation of vehicles free of cost carrying dead bodies in all district hospitals and government medical colleges. In case of institutional death during treatment or death due to road accident/disaster, the dead body will be respectfully transported free of cost to the destination. The responsibility of operating the hearse will be with the Public Health and Medical Education Department. Presently this responsibility rests with the Urban Development and Housing Department.

PM Shri Air Ambulance Service Scheme has been approved. The responsibility of its operation and implementation will rest with the Public Health and Medical Education Department.