MP govt to brand state's special dishes

The Kamal Nath government has proposed to undertake international branding of the famous confectionery items associated with various towns of Madhya Pradesh such as Bhind’s Peda, Morena’s gazak, Sagar’s chironji ki barfi.

Besides, it will also focus on popularising famous small handbags of Bhopal known as Batua.

Presenting the Congress government’s maiden budget in the state Assembly, Finance Minister Tarun Bhanot said that the government will work to get international recognition to special Madhya Pradesh cuisines including Jalebi, Laddu and Namkeen.

To this end, the government will set up food processing units in Jabalpur and Gwalior.

The budget has proposed a three-fold hike in the honorarium for the priests working in registered temples. It has also provided a substantial increase in grants to the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board and the Haj committee with allocation of Rs 821 crore for the backwards and minorities department.

For fulfilling its loan waiver promise to the state’s farmers, the government has earmarked Rs 8,000 crore, having already written off loans worth Rs 7,000 crore of 20 lakh farmers within 128 days of the Congress coming to power, the minister said.

For another poll promise of setting up cow sheds in all 23,000 village panchyats, Rs 132 crore has been provided for bovine welfare.

This year, work will begin for setting up 1,000 cowsheds with the support of private secto, Bhanot announced.

In order to attract investors, the government has proposed to organise a two-day investors’ meet in Indore from October 18.

The finance minister said that despite being bequeathed an empty coffer by the previous BJP regime, the Kamal Nath government has been sincerely working to improve the state’s financial condition without imposing fresh taxes on the state’s common man.