June 24th 2023.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a four per cent hike in the dearness allowance for the state government employees at a mass marriage function at Gillor village in Sehore district on Friday evening. This move comes ahead of the state Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in November this year. This will bring the DA in Madhya Pradesh on par with the one offered by the Centre.
The 2018 assembly elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state threw up a hung Assembly, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party with 114 seats, while the BJP bagging 109 seats. The Congress formed a government with senior leader Kamal Nath at the helm, but his dispensation collapsed in March 2020 after MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia revolted, paving the way for BJP's Chouhan to return as the chief minister.
The announcement of the increased DA is seen as a move to gain the favour of the government employees ahead of the upcoming elections. This is likely to make a difference for the state employees, who have been facing financial trouble due to the current economic situation.
The state government is also looking into the possibility of appealing against the NAAC grading given to Sarojni Naidu Girls College in Bhopal. It remains to be seen if the appeal will be successful and what impact it will have on the college’s reputation. Meanwhile, social media has become the new arena for the political ‘war’ in Indore.
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