Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav opens innings on front foot

BHOPAL: The first decisions taken by chief minister Mohan Yadav give an insight into the priorities of the new government, spanning from law and order to education, e-governance and tribal welfare.
“These decisions have been taken with foresight and will benefit the state and all citizens,” CM Yadav said at a press conference after the first cabinet meeting in the evening.The CM’s very first order after taking oath was for a ban on loudspeakers that violate decibel norms at religious places or otherwise. TheADG-CID has been appointed nodal officer at the police HQ for this.
The CM also ordered a ban on unlicenced buying and selling of meat and fish in the open in urban areas, announced a ‘PM Excellence College’ in every district, legal action for cancellation of bail of ‘habitual criminals’, mandatory uploading of certificates and marksheets on DigiLocker, and a hike in tendu patta payout to Rs 4,000.
The biggest buzz was over CM Mohan Yadav’s noise-cancellation order. Sound amplifiers (loudspeakers/DJs) can be used only within prescribed standards, and flying squads will be formed in all the districts to check this, the CM said. Effective immediately, all religious institutions and public venues must adhere to prescribed volume and time limits. A spokesperson said that the government has taken this decision in accordance with the provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Noise Control Act, Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 for religious and other places, and the guidelines issued from time to time by the Supreme Court and high court.
“The use of loudspeakers at high volumes without permission is completely prohibited,” he said. Flying squads will “regularly and randomly” inspect religious sites and public places in all the districts. In case any violation is detected, the investigation will be conducted within three days and action taken. Members of the flying squad will be nominated by the district administration, heads of police stations and by the state Pollution Control Board. An additional district magistrate-level officer, named by the collector, will be the nodal officer for all flying squads of a district.

“Efforts will be made to remove loudspeakers through talks and coordination with religious leaders. Instructions have been given to make a list and review every week the religious places where these rules are not being followed, and the compliance report has to be given to the home department by December 31,” says the first order signed by CM Yadav. “Every district will have a PM Excellence College. They will follow the New Education Policy and have all modern facilities so that all courses can be taught there. We are starting with 52 colleges in the next session,” CM Yadav said at the press conference. There are 570 government colleges in MP, and they will be upgraded, said a government release. The non-recurring expenditure on them will be around Rs 312.5 crore and the recurring expenditure will be Rs 147.8 cr, taking the total estimated expenditure to Rs 460.4 crore, it said.
All 16 government and 53 private universities under the higher education department will mandatorily upload degrees/marksheets of students on DigiLocker.
“Many students have a hard time getting these documents. They have to travel back and forth. Some people even make fake marksheets. With this, anyone can check the validity of documents,” the CM said.
The cabinet also decided to ban illegal buying and selling of meat in the open. An intensive campaign, monitored by the chief secretary, will be launched in this regard in coordination with anti-encroachment squads, health staff, district administration and police.
“The Food Safety Act has been implemented, and the Centre has also issued guidelines against sale of meat and eggs in the open. We will enforce them strictly. It will also lead to enhanced awareness. Those who want to do this business will be told about the regulations,” the CM told reporters, adding that it will protect the health of customers and traders alike.
The cabinet also decided to implement the ‘cyber tehsil’ system in all 55 districts from January 1, 2024. The faceless system of application, nomination, mutation and record correction is in force since June 2022. This allows for paperless online processing within 14 days without the need to visit the tehsil office. It’s already operational in 442 tehsils of 12 districts, and helped resolve 16,000 cases, the statement said.
The cabinet also decided to take action regarding cancellation of bail to habitual criminals and those in serious crimes as per the provisions of CrPC sections 437, 438 and 439.
Tendu leaf collection payment will be hiked from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per bag. With this, more than 35 lakh tendu leaf collectors will get an additional remuneration of Rs 162 crore. In 2017, this rate was Rs 1,250 per bag, which was increased to Rs 3,000 in 2023 and will be hiked by Rs 1,000 now. At the press meet, CM Yadav did not answer questions on whether the Ladli Behna Scheme will be continued.