BHOPAL: In a move largely aimed at protecting cows in the State, the Madhya Pradesh government decided on Tuesday to ban the use of plastic carry bags from May 1, 2017.
The move was among a slew of decisions cleared by the State cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Tuesday.
Briefing media persons about the Cabinet decisions, State government official spokesperson and senior minister Dr Narottam Mishra said: “Since the consumption of plastic carry bags causes large number of cow deaths, besides being hazardous to the environment as a whole, the State cabinet approved the proposal of banning polythene bags all across the state from May 1, 2017.”
Mishra added that a detailed plan for finalising necessary modalities to execute the ban on plastic carry bags is being chalked out. He made it clear that ban only applies to plastic carry bags and no other plastic related material or product.
The cabinet also decided to celebrate Dr BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on April 14 as SamajikSamrastaDiwas (Social Equality Day) across the state. The same day will mark the start of the GramudayAbhiyan which will go on across MP till May 31.
Among the other decisions taken by the cabinet on Tuesday, the State government approved a proposal for a unique CM Young Professional for Development Program. The new programme is aimed at infusing fresh talent in execution of government schemes. The programme to be personally followed up by the CM himself will entail building of an army of young professionals (up to age of 35 years) each of whom will have at least six years of expertise in varied fields.
These young professionals to be dubbed as CM Fellows will be selected by the Board of Governors and will be playing a key role in monitoring and coordinating execution of important government schemes on the lines of similar initiatives in Maharashtra and Haryana.
The government also cleared Rs 900 crore for CM Rural Drinking Water Scheme, a new scheme under the 2017-18 state budget.
The state cabinet also cleared the proposal for setting up an advanced Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit at Indore’s MY Hospital. A team of expert doctors has also been selected for the new facility, which will be a major initiative against blood-related disorders in the State, said Mishra.
The cabinet also cleared proposal to raise the MBBS seats at the Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal from the present 150 to 250.
The State cabinet also cleared the decks for necessary manpower and other infrastructure for six new medical colleges in the state, including Chhindwara, Ratlam, Shahdol, Shivpuri, Khandwa and Vidisha.
The cabinet also decided to provide 654 hectare land to the Union ministry of home affairs for setting up support weapon training school for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Damoh district of Bundelkhand.
It was also decided to transfer 342 acres of land in North and South TT Nagar area of Bhopal for developing a smart city in the State capital.
Further, the State government also decided to extend the Rs 5 per meal DeendayalRasoi Scheme (started recently in Bhopal) to 49 districts of the State. Only Bhind and Umaria district (where Assembly bypolls were held on April 9) are not yet covered by the scheme which has attracted interests of other state governments also, said Mishra.
