Bhopal: Students from pre-primary classes to Class 12 across Madhya Pradesh will remain covered under the Samagra Shiksha programme for another five years, with the state cabinet on Tuesday approving Rs 36,006.22 crore for its continuation from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
The programme covers children aged four to 18 and is aimed at improving learning outcomes, reducing social and gender gaps in education and ensuring equitable access to schools. It also supports vocational education, teacher training and implementation of the Right to Education Act.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, minister Narendra Shivaji Patel said the cabinet approved proposals worth more than Rs 42,490 crore for education, irrigation, transport, horticulture, administrative infrastructure and welfare programmes.
The cabinet approved more than Rs 2,600 crore for the continuation of three irrigation projects, which together are expected to create irrigation capacity across over 1.27 lakh hectares.
The Chitavad major irrigation project on the Kshipra river in Ujjain district received Rs 1,846.05 crore and is designed to irrigate 65,000 hectares. The Gond project in Singrauli was allocated Rs 749.62 crore for developing irrigation capacity across 34,500 hectares, while Rs 11.49 crore was approved for the Chanderi micro-irrigation project, covering 28,000 hectares in Ashoknagar.
Another Rs 1,166.60 crore was cleared to continue 11 transport department schemes until March 2031. This includes Rs 245.55 crore for the smart-card scheme and Rs 377.41 crore for flying squads and checkpoints. Funds were also approved for driving-training centres, rural transport, assistance for people helping road accident victims and women’s safety in public transport.
The cabinet sanctioned Rs 491 crore to continue eight horticulture and food-processing schemes. The package includes Rs 100 crore each for fruit plantation and expansion of spice cultivation, Rs 85 crore for protected cultivation and Rs 50 crore for cold-chain infrastructure. Funds were also approved for crop insurance, food-processing industries and farmer training.
It also approved an interest-free loan of Rs 2,220.62 crore to Markfed to repay the outstanding foodgrain credit-limit loan for the 2024-25 rabi marketing season by Sept 30.
Twenty-one posts were sanctioned for mineral offices in the newly formed districts of Maihar, Mauganj and Pandhurna. The cabinet also approved 36 regular posts for four schools upgraded from middle to high school level in Anuppur and Shahdol districts.
The cabinet ratified the decision to provide Ladli Behna beneficiaries an additional Rs 250 as special assistance on Raksha Bandhan.
