National News
Madhya Pradesh comes up with Annadata Kalyan Mission in policy mode
Bhopal, April 15: In alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Gareeb, Yuva, Annadata, and Nari (Poor, Youth, Farmer, and Woman), the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday launched ‘Annadata Kalyan Mission’ (Farmers’ welfare mission) in a “Policy frame”.
The state cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has approved the policy.
The state government is aiming to implement a comprehensive policy to increase farmers’ income through diverse activities beyond traditional agriculture.
“The policy has been designed to augment farmers’ earnings through allied sectors, adopting a multidimensional approach to their growth and prosperity. Over the years, agricultural productivity has shown remarkable progress, with yields per hectare rising from 1,195 kg in 2003 to 2,393 kg in 2024 — a significant increase of nearly 200 per cent,” said Kailash Vijayvargiya, the State Urban Development Minister.
The mission aspires to transform farmers into progressive entrepreneurs, promoting practices such as organic farming to boost productivity while safeguarding environmental health, the minister said.
Support will also be extended to farmers cultivating high-value horticultural crops, offering them better market returns. Programmes from horticulture, veterinary, and fisheries departments, among others, will be integrated to provide holistic assistance to the farming community, he said.
“We have already launched policies for the poor, youth, and women in mission mode, as envisioned in the Prime Minister’s GYAN concept. The Annadata initiative will also operate in mission mode,” he added.
Emphasising the state government’s commitment to farmers, the minister pointed out that the agricultural budget has witnessed an exponential rise — from Rs 600 crore during the previous administration to Rs 27,000 crore under the current regime. Furthermore, through the Nadi Jodo Abhiyan (river linking project), Rs 1,00,000 crore has been allocated to enhance irrigation infrastructure, with plans to expand irrigated land across the state. Agriculture now constitutes 39 per cent of the state’s GDP, he said.
“A high-level committee has been established under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, while another will be formed under the Chief Secretary’s leadership. Similar committees will be constituted at the district level to ensure streamlined implementation,” the Minister elaborated.
Highlighting the impressive growth in the agricultural sector, the Minister noted that the agriculture growth rate has surged from 3 per cent in 2003 to the current rate of 9.1 per cent, reflecting an extraordinary increase of over 327 per cent.
He attributed this achievement to consistent hikes in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farm yields and the implementation of various welfare initiatives aimed at bolstering the farming community.
Acknowledging the challenges posed by climate change, the Minister underscored the need to adapt farming practices accordingly. “Sustainable agriculture and biodiversity are being prioritised to ensure resilience and sustained productivity,” he said.
To promote millet cultivation on a large scale, the government has launched schemes focusing on Shree Anna.
Sharing an example from Rourkela, the Minister remarked, “When I visited the town, I saw women who were well-dressed and adorned with gold jewelry — a testament to the success of Shree Anna cultivation, which has significantly enhanced their family incomes,” Vijayvargiya said.
“They sell millet at Rs 60 per kg, compared to the previous Rs 1-2 per kg, illustrating the transformative impact of this initiative. Ensuring farmers receive the right price for their produce remains a priority,” the Minister said.
The Farmers Welfare Department of Madhya Pradesh and the Horticulture Cooperative Department will collaborate to drive farmer development.
Complementary measures such as interventions in public health and medical education, are being introduced to support rural communities.
Collectively, these policies aim to revolutionize the agricultural sector, empowering farmers to achieve sustainable and profitable livelihoods.
Financial assistance under the mission is designed to alleviate farmers’ economic burdens by offering affordable loans tailored to their needs, the Minister added.
Mumbai Press Exclusive News
Mumbai BMC elections: Abu Asim Azmi appeals to disgruntled Samajwadi Party workers

In the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has appealed to the claimants deprived of party tickets that if for some reason any candidate has not got a party ticket, the party leadership will provide them with an opportunity in the future, but in this election, they should show unity with the Samajwadi Party candidates for the problems and rights of the people. He said that in the BMC elections, the Samajwadi Party had decided to field candidates on 150 seats so that the socialist ideology would be promoted. The candidates on the party ticket were provided with tickets and the candidates also filed their candidatures, but unfortunately, many claimants did not get tickets because there were many difficulties in the distribution of tickets. Thank you to everyone for contesting elections on the party ticket in Mumbai and promoting the party’s ideology. Candidates were announced in several wards in a phased manner and 150 candidates have been fielded for the election phase. Abu Asim Azmi said that I appeal to all the workers and contenders to work for the party candidate instead of getting angry over the deprivation of the ticket because it is our responsibility to strengthen the party and promote the ideology of the Samajwadi Party. The candidates who have not been given a chance this time should not be unhappy. The election is not just for one candidate but for the ideology of the party. Whoever is given the ticket, he is the face and candidate of the Samajwadi Party. Therefore, the party should support the candidate and strengthen the party. It is a victory of unity. You will all work for the Samajwadi Party to raise your voice on the problems of the citizens and I am sure that the Samajwadi Party will make history this time.
Crime
Mira-Bhayandar Crime: Kashigaon Police Arrest 3 Accused For House Burglary, Recover Cash And Gold Worth ₹2.36 Lakh

Mira-Bhayandar, Jan 02: The Kashigaon Police Crime Detection Team has arrested three accused involved in a house burglary case and recovered stolen gold ornaments, cash and burglary tools.
According to the police, the incident took place on the morning of December 30, 2025, when the complainant, Shraddha Anil Shelar, a homemaker and resident of Hatkesh, Kashigaon, had locked her house and gone to Ramdev Park, Mira Road, along with her husband Anil Shelar to file nomination papers for the Ward No. 13 municipal councillor election.
When the couple returned home around 1.30 pm, they found the main door broken and household articles scattered. On checking the iron cupboard, it was discovered that gold ornaments weighing about 43 grams, including a gold chain, bracelet, earrings, nose ring and pendant worth approximately ₹2.16 lakh, along with ₹20,000 in cash, had been stolen.
Based on the complaint, Kashigaon Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft and house-breaking.
During the course of investigation, the police tracked down the accused and arrested them from Bhayandar Railway Station while they were attempting to flee to another state.
The arrested accused have been identified as Irfan Yusuf Khan (25), Sagar Dilip Soni (23) and Ajay Vijay Torne (19), all residents of the Mira Road area. One of the accused is originally from Nepal, police said.
Police have recovered the stolen gold ornaments, cash and the tools used for committing the burglary from the accused. Further investigation revealed that accused Irfan and Sagar have prior criminal records, with theft and house-breaking cases registered against them at Nayanagar, Navghar and Mira Road police stations, and had previously served jail sentences.
National News
‘Unacceptable’, Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi Flags Misuse Of AI Apps To Sexualise Women, Seeks Urgent Intervention From IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, on Friday, January 2, wrote to Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighting the increasing incidents of AI apps being prompted to sexualise and undress women by unauthorised use of their images on social media, calling it gross misuse of AI.
Moreover, the Rajya Sabha MP sought urgent intervention of the IT Minister and said that there have to be guardrails put in place by features such as Grok that do not violate women’s dignity, while big tech firms need to take the onus.
In a letter dated January 2, she wrote, “There have to be guardrails put in place by features such as Grok that do not violate women’s dignity, big tech firms need to take the onus. And I wish men indulging in such behaviour were educated better at their homes & schools to not become such sick perverts in their adulthood.”
She further added, “What is worse is that Grok is enabling this behaviour by adhering to such requests.”
She stated that similar incidents are “going absolutely unchecked” on other platforms. “I write to you as an active member of the Standing Committee on IT & Communication, to urge you as a minister to take this up strongly with X to ensure safeguards are built in their AI apps to make the platform a safe space for women,” she wrote in the letter.
“Our country cannot be a bystander to women’s dignity being violated publicly and digitally with zero consequences under the garb of creativity and innovation that condone such prompts. While we welcome AI and its role in making lives easier for the world, we will not allow a proliferation of such demeaning acts towards women,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
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