MP cabinet approves pension scheme for elderly spinsters

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Monday approved a pension scheme for elderly women who are unmarried in order to provide them with financial assistance.

The Shivraj Singh Chauhan government cleared the way for an amount of Rs 300 to be given as pension to unmarried women between the ages of 50 and 79 while those above 80 years of age would be entitled to get Rs 500 as pension.

The state government has claimed that it is the first such scheme in the world which would help elderly women attain financial independence to a certain degree.

Apart from the pension scheme - called Mukhya Mantri Avivahit Yojna, a number of other proposals were cleared by the state cabinet on Monday as well. These include improving the infrastructure and facilities in temples across the state as well as looking after the welfare of priests here.

A proposal for metro projects in Indore and Bhopal too was given the green signal.

The cabinet also decided to provide free training to students preparing for UPSC examinations. As many as 100 students are likely to benefit from this.