Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who has completed two years in office, was candid about work he has done. This year, the government’s thrust has been on eradicating Maoists and bringing investments to the state.
In a chat with Free Press, Yadav says how he has overcome the difficulties to take the state on the path of progress.
Excerpts:
FP: What was the strategy to wipe out Maoists?
CM: We are proud that our government, under the guidance of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is destroying Maoists from the country. The centre decided to uproot the menace by March 2026. We prepared our forces accordingly. The progress we have made is evident. We sent a strong message to them. Similarly, we laid stress on the fact that Maoists laying down their arms would get government assistance.
FP: What is the outcome of industrial conclaves?
CM: Bhopal remains deprived of big business events like the Global Investors Summit and Regional Industrial Conclaves. So, it was our government that decided to organise these conclaves because we believe states cannot prosper without industries. We decided to boost industries in big cities as well as in small areas with high potential. We held RICs in Bhopal and Indore and expanded them to Shahdol, Sagar, and Narmadapuram. We must acknowledge that the industrialists embraced our move.
FP: Have industrial conferences diverted government focus from agriculture?
CM: The year 2024 was dedicated to the women’s welfare and empowerment. We were committed to building industrial and employment opportunities this year. In 2026, agriculture will remain our focus. We will work to improve the growth rate of agriculture and increase the irrigation area to 100 lakh hectares in five years. We understand that the crop yield will increase.
FP: Water scarcity and joblessness have become a hurdle in Nimar’s growth.
CM: Drought and unemployment have hit the culturally rich Nimar region in Western MP. But to deal with the issue, PM MITRA Park was announced for Dhar. The park, being built at a cost of Rs 2k crore, is expected to benefit the Nimar region and cotton farmers of Khargone, Barwani, Dhar, Burhanpur, and Khandwa.
Similarly, development works worth Rs 140 crore were announced for Sendhwa. Khandwa got the Tapi Basin Mega Recharge scheme for irrigation of 1.23 lakh hectares.
FP: How will you generate jobs?
CM: We have sanctioned vacancies in every government department. We have sanctioned approximately 50,000 posts in the electricity department and 42,000 in the health department. We are recruiting 22,500 police officers and constables. Recruitments are underway in every sector. Now, the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission and other departments are also moving forward.
FP: Has cow protection taken a back seat?
CM: Our government is working towards cow protection. Model cow shelters have been set up in Agar Malwa, Indore, Gwalior, and Ujjain. Similarly, construction of model cow shelters is underway in Bhopal, Jabalpur, and Sagar. In fact, an MoU was signed between the Madhya Pradesh government and the National Dairy Development Board to promote milk production.
FP: How has your government worked in infrastructure development?
CM: Indore Metro has already started, and the Bhopal Metro is on the tracks. ‘CM Easy Transport Service’ will be launched for the cities and rural areas. More than 550 urban e-buses will operate in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, and Sagar under the Prime Minister's E-Bus Service Scheme. We have set a target for constructing 4078 km of roads in 2025-26 and one lakh km of roads in the next five years. Over 8,500 villages are already connected by roads under the Chief Minister's Village Road Scheme.
FP: What about roads?
CM: A sum of Rs 5,000 crore has been approved for the construction of a four-lane Greenfield Access Controlled Highway between Ujjain and Jaora. Similarly, the Ujjain-Indore highway will soon get a six-lane road at a cost of ?1,692 crore. The Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor will be upgraded to four lanes at a cost of ?3,589 crore. Similarly, the six-lane Agra-Gwalior National High-Speed ??Corridor project has also been approved.
FP: What are your plans for air connectivity?
CM: We are making all efforts to boost air connectivity, especially in small cities. New airports have come up in Rewa, Datia, and Satna. The Rewa-Delhi and Rewa-Indore air services have already begun. An agreement has been signed for the development of Ujjain airport.
FP: At the end of two years, how do you feel about your achievements?
To this question, Yadav sports a benign smile.
