The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to a proposal to provide e-scooters to the girls and boys who top the Class 12 exam at government schools. The decision of the BJP government comes ahead of Assembly elections which are due by year-end.
The Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet also approved a proposal to increase the family income limit from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh for scholarships for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.
The cabinet has decided to provide an e-scooter to every girl and boy who secures the first position (in female and male categories, respectively) at government higher secondary schools, said Home Minister Narottam Mishra who is also a government spokesperson. The scheme will benefit around 9,000 students, he said. A provision of ₹ 135 crore has been made in the 2023-24 budget for its implementation, he added.
A petrol-run scooter will be provided in the areas where an e-scooter is not available, Mr Mishra said. If more than one student secures the top position in a school, all of them will be given e-scooters. The cabinet on Wednesday also approved the state's Cooperative Policy 2023.