MP transfer policy likely in next cabinet meeting:Minister seeks no cap on voluntary transfers

The Madhya Pradesh government is likely to take a decision on lifting the ban on employee transfers in the next cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has directed the General Administration Department to bring a proposal regarding the transfer policy before the cabinet. During an informal discussion in Monday’s cabinet meeting, Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah suggested that the upcoming transfer policy should not impose any limit on voluntary transfers, allowing employees seeking transfers to do so freely. Several other ministers reportedly supported Shah’s proposal. Responding to the demand, CM Mohan Yadav said the matter would be considered and asked officials to prepare the policy for the next meeting. Cabinet Minister Chaitanya Kashyap, while briefing the media, only stated that complete details would be shared once the policy is officially released. Ministers earlier opposed fixed transfer quotas A similar informal discussion had also taken place during the previous cabinet meeting. Ministers had then argued that administrative and voluntary transfers should not be linked together, as it leads to fixed quotas and results in dissatisfaction among MLAs. CM urges citizens to follow PM Modi’s appeal Sharing details of cabinet discussions, Minister Chaitanya Kashyap said the Chief Minister appealed to people in the state to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to reduce gold purchases for a year and minimize petrol and diesel consumption by using public transport. The CM also urged citizens to avoid unnecessary foreign travel to support the Prime Minister’s appeal. However, when asked by the media about the large number of vehicles accompanying ministers’ convoys, Kashyap did not give a direct response. State ministers can now grant ₹25,000 assistance Kashyap said the cabinet has increased the financial assistance limit that ministers of state can provide under discretionary grants. Earlier, ministers of state could sanction only ₹16,000 per person annually. The limit has now been raised to ₹25,000 per person in a year. Cabinet ministers had already received an enhanced limit of ₹40,000 annually per beneficiary. Cabinet approves increase in bitumen cost difference The cabinet also discussed the rise in global bitumen (asphalt) prices, which has affected road repair and construction work ahead of the monsoon. To address the issue, the government approved an increase in compensation for the difference between previously fixed bitumen rates and current market prices. The decision applies to road projects costing up to ₹10 crore. Officials said that, on average, each district has nearly 10 road projects under this category, meaning over 500 roads across the state could benefit from the revised provision. The cabinet also approved continuation of Public Works Department schemes related to construction, upgradation, and strengthening of urban and rural roads until the term of the 16th Finance Commission. Cabinet clears continuation of ₹29,540-crore schemes Minister Kashyap said the cabinet discussed and approved several proposals from departments including Finance, Water Resources, Public Works, Law, Health, and Social Justice. The government approved continuation of multiple publicly funded schemes and projects during the 16th Central Finance Commission period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031. Overall, schemes worth ₹29,540 crore across departments will continue. Other major cabinet decisions Irrigation project approved The cabinet approved administrative sanction for the Khumansingh Shivaji Reservoir (Thikriya Talab) micro-irrigation project proposed by the Water Resources Department. The ₹163-crore project is expected to benefit around 6,500 farmers. Jabalpur High Court parking project The Law and Legislative Affairs Department received approval for exempting the proposed multi-level parking and bar office construction project at the Jabalpur High Court campus from index calculation norms. Pension scheme to continue The Social Justice and Disabled Empowerment Department’s proposal to continue the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme under the National Social Assistance Programme was also approved. Revised approval for Budhni Medical college The cabinet approved revised administrative sanction for the proposed medical college, affiliated hospital, nursing college, and paramedical college in Budhni. The project cost has risen from ₹714 crore to ₹763 crore, which has now been cleared by the cabinet.