Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh's debt, which has been increasing year-on-year, has mounted to over Rs 2.60 lakh crore, way more than the budget outlay, and the state government is facing a daunting task to make the state 'Atmanirbhar'.
The amount is excluding the debt of corporation boards in the state.
In 2020-21, the state had presented the budget with an outlay of Rs 2,41,000 crore.
With the mounting debt, the per capita income is decreasing. In 2019-20, the per capita income was Rs 62,233; in 2020-21, it decreased to Rs 58,425 per annum while the country's per capita income is Rs 86,456.
There is a possibility of more decline in the per capita income in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Education and medical facilities are in a dismal state in the state.
Madhya Pradesh ranks 17th in the country in terms of medical facilities.
The state houses 13 medical colleges and 11,500 primary health centres where the posts of specialists are lying vacant.
Most of the educational institutions in the state do not have teachers or have just one as faculty for the entire facility.
In 1,587 schools in the tribal dominated districts of Alirajpur, Jhabua, Barwani, Singrauli, Sidhi, Mandla and Dhar, teachers are unavailable.
Employment is a major issue in the state. Every year, the government promises to provide jobs to one lakh people.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the first and foremost priority of his government is all-round development of the people.
The government's aim is to provide jobs to the unemployed and make the people's life happy, he said.
On January 12 'Rozgaar Diwas' (Employment Day), 5,26,000 people were provided jobs.
"We have decided that every month, employment day will be observed during which job opportunities will be provided.
"On March 29, employment will be provided to lakhs of people," he said.
However, State Congress chief Kamal Nath termed the government schemes and announcements as a farce.
Talking on the issue of unemployment, Kamal Nath said the number of registered unemployed people has crossed 34 lakh and it is increasing day by day. More than 1.25 lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments. The number of unorganised workers has crossed 1.21 crore.
Besides the announcement of several welfare schemes for farmers, the state government has also announced concessions. It is aiming and making efforts to double the farmers' income.
Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel stressed on natural farming, saying the state has immense potential in this field. However, Kamal Nath is of the view that farmers' condition in the state is very bad.
The farmers are not getting seeds, manure, electricity and water for irrigation, Kamal Nath claimed.
Financial expert Kamal Rathi said that everyone knows about the state's financial condition. He pitched for better implementation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ease of Doing Business.
For attracting investment to the state, the state government needs to focus on an area -- either education or medical, he said.
