Shivraj Singh Chouhan increases amount to be paid under his popular schemes

With an eye on the Lok Sabha polls, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced in Bhopal on Monday that the amount of money to be given under the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan and Nikah (wedding) schemes have been increased from Rs 16,000 to Rs 25,000.

After entering his newly renovated office for his third innings as Madhya Pradesh's Chief Minister, the first order Chouhan signed was to raise the amount to Rs 25,000 for his Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojna and Mukhya Mantri Nikah Yojna (wedding schemes), official sources said.

Under these schemes newly weds are given household items as gifts on the CM's behalf. Chouhan has created a record by scoring a hat-trick in Madhya Pradesh by winning 165 out of the total 230 seats in the just concluded Assembly elections, which reduced the Congress to 58 seats from 71 seats which it had won in 2008.

The BJP had 143 seats in its kitty at that time. Chouhan took oath as MP Chief Minister for a record third time in a row on December 14. Talking to reporters later, Chouhan hinted that his ministry would be constituted by next week.

"The ministry is likely to to be constituted by next week. A few ministers would take oath," Chouhan said, without specifying any numbers. Replying a question, he said that ministers would appointed on the basis of a number of criteria, after which expansion would be done at an appropriate time.

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