Cabinet clears 15k+ cr devpt push across irrigation, edu and welfare

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet, led by CM Mohan Yadav, on Tuesday approved Rs 590 crore for acquisition of 437.5 acres to develop an airstrip in Ujjain capable of handling Airbus A320 aircraft, ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela in 2028.Minister for MSME Chaitanya Kashyap said the project will be taken up under the Centre's RCS-UDAN scheme, with the state providing land to the Airports Authority of India for expansion of the airstrip.The cabinet also cleared a series of development initiatives across irrigation, education, forest conservation and financial administration, with a total outlay exceeding Rs 15,000 crore. A key decision was the approval of the Katna Micro Irrigation Project in Mandsaur district at a cost of Rs 88.41 crore. The project aims to irrigate 3,500 hectares across 12 villages in Bhanpura tehsil, boosting agricultural productivity in the region.The cabinet also approved major allocations for forest conservation and procurement of pulses under the MSP scheme.In the education sector, approvals included continuation of the fee reimbursement scheme, extension of the PM Shri School scheme till 2031, and financial assistance for Scheduled Caste students studying in Delhi.