Bhopal: On Tuesday, an important meeting of the Council of Ministers was held in the Ministry under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. It started with singing Vande Mataram. In this meeting, keeping in mind the coming years, the government approved many major decisions related to public interest. The Council of Ministers has approved a total of Rs 7,133 crore 17 lakh for the continuation of major schemes of the Tribal Affairs Department and Women and Child Development Department from the year 2026-27 to 2030-31. The aim of the government is to ensure that the benefits of these schemes continue to reach the needy sections and there is no hindrance of any kind.

Budget decided for different schemes

As per the approval, Rs 2,350 crore has been sanctioned for the PVTG Food Subsidy Scheme of the Tribal Affairs Department. Apart from this, Rs 1,703 crore 15 lakh has been approved for the Integrated Hostel Scheme and Rs 1,416 crore 91 lakh has been approved for the CM Rise Vidyalaya Scheme. Rs 1,110 crore has been sanctioned for the Housing Assistance Scheme. At the same time, a total of Rs 522 crore 8 lakh has been sanctioned to the Board of Secondary Education for fee reimbursement, scholarship for Scheduled Caste and Tribe students and scholarship for class 9th. Along with this, approval of Rs 31 crore 3 lakh has been given for the Chief Minister Covid-19 Child Service Scheme of the Women and Child Development Department.

Electricity will reach thousands of homes and institutions

The Council of Ministers has decided for large-scale electrification under the Dharti Aaba Tribal Village Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA). Under this scheme, approval of Rs 366 crore 72 lakh has been given to connect 63 thousand 77 such houses, where electricity has not yet been provided, and 650 government institutions. Out of this amount, a grant of Rs 220 crore 03 lakh will be received from the Central Government, while the burden of Rs 146 crore 69 lakh will be borne by the state government.

Electrification will also happen through off-grid system

Apart from this, the Council of Ministers has also approved the estimated cost of Rs 97 crore to provide electricity to 8 thousand 521 houses through off-grid system. This electrification will be done by Madhya Pradesh Energy Development Corporation through solar and battery based systems. The entire cost associated with off-grid electrification will be borne by the state government.

How will the process of electrification happen?

As per the approval, the work will be done under the ceiling cost fixed at the distribution company level following the guidelines issued by the Government of India. Where the estimated cost per house will be up to Rs 2 lakh, the power distribution companies of the state will create the infrastructure and electrify through the online system. At the same time, in houses built on farms, settlements smaller than five houses and in such remote areas, where the cost per house is more than Rs 2 lakh, electricity will be supplied through off-grid solar + battery system of 1 kilowatt capacity.

Age relaxation for court employees

The Council of Ministers has given major relief to the employees working in the IT cadre of the High Court and District Court. It has been decided to give relaxation of 5 years in the age limit only once to participate in the present and future recruitment processes of technical cadre. At present the age limit for unreserved category is 40 years and for reserved category is 45 years.

New pension rules approved

Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Pension) Rules 2026 and Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Compounding of Pension) Rules 2026 were also approved in the meeting. The Finance Department has been authorized to publish these rules. In the proposed rules, the procedures and rights have been simplified, which will provide convenience to pensioners and timely disposal of cases.

Big change in family pension

Under the new pension rules, now unmarried, widowed and divorced daughters have also been included among the members eligible for family pension. This will directly benefit those families who were not able to avail the benefit of this facility till now. Besides, the process of pension summarization and calculation will also be easier than before.

2026 rules of National Pension System come into force

The Council of Ministers has also approved the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Implementation of the National Pension System) Rules 2026 and rules related to payment of gratuity under the National Pension System. These rules will be effective from April 1, 2026 and the Finance Department has been authorized to publish them.

New important provisions included in NPS

Under the new rules, a provision for family pension has been made in the event of death of the subscriber. Apart from this, provisions like voluntary retirement, e-service book, linking of former services of central and state government have also been included. Clear arrangements have also been made regarding the contribution of the subscriber and the employer during the suspension period.

Rules related to gratuity and departmental investigation

The entire process of eligibility and payment of gratuity for government servants covered under the National Pension System has been clarified. In case of departmental inquiry after retirement, recovery from gratuity will be possible. Along with this, provisions like stopping employer's contribution during the period of departmental investigation, stopping subscriber's contribution three months before retirement and giving the state government the power to relax or change the rules have also been included.