MP cabinet nod for operation of toll plazas by women’s self-help groups

BHOPAL: In-its-first-kind, in the country, the Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday gave the nod for operating toll plazas by women’s self-help groups to empower women, spokesperson of the cabinet and state Home minister Dr Narottam Mishra said.

“In a revolutionary decision to empower women, the state cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan decided to give the responsibility to the women’ss self-help groups (WSHGs) for operating toll plazas,” Dr Mishra said while briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting. The cabinet meeting was held in the committee room of the state Assembly.

The monsoon session of the Assembly was in motion and scheduled from July 11 to July 15 but due to an uproar by the opposition MLAs over tribal atrocities issue, peaker Girish Gautam announced Sine Die adjournment for an indefinite period.

“The initiative is in-its-first-kind in the country to empower women. The WSHGs will operate those plazas across the state, their annual collection is less than Rs 2 crore. 30 per cent amount of the collection will give to these groups”, the Home minister said. MP Road Development Corporation has been authorized to select the route.

Ahead of the Assembly elections which are due later this year, the decision is considered to woo women voters. Women’s electorate in the state is around 50 per cent in the state and the voter turnout has been witnessed at around 70 per cent for the previous three elections. CM Chouhan has also introduced the ‘Ladli Bahna Yojana’ giving Rs 1000 monthly to poor women.

The cabinet also approved the ‘Madhya Pradesh Capacity Building Policy-2023’, under the policy training will be provided to the government servants incorporating the concept and characteristics of Mission Karmyogi of the government of India, the spokesperson of the cabinet also said.

Notably, the National Training Policy was implemented in the state so far, there was no policy of the state. A need for the new policy was required for the servants due to the method of recruitment, use of information technology, changes in various laws, etc.

Mishra also said that the cabinet also decided to increase the honorarium of the president and vice-president of the district and janpad panchayats.

Apart from this, the maximum annual honorarium of gram panchayats representatives including sarpanch will be increased, he further said.

Several other decisions were also taken by the cabinet such as the establishment of 8 new government colleges approved, permission to spend according to a hiked honorarium of ‘Gram Rozgar Sahayak’ and the operation, repair etc. of the hostels of the School Education Department -under the new Samrasta Hostel Scheme, he added.