When barely a few days are left for the announcement of the model code of conduct for the state Assembly election, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet at its meeting here on Wednesday took several important policy decisions, including the approval to grant contractual teacher status to 7,500 “gurujis” even if they have not cleared the diploma in education (D.Ed) exam. The Cabinet also took the decision to increase by 25 per cent the honorarium of the Jan Abhiyan Parishad employees.
The decision to increase the honorarium of Jan Abhiyan Parishad employees just before the coming Assembly election is significant. Jan Abhiyan Parishad is a high-level body chaired by state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. An important mandate of this body is to register and evaluate the working and performance of all registered societies in the state before giving them accreditation.
Earlier this year in the month of March, it had organised Voluntary Organisation’s Dialogue 2013. Besides the state chief minister, who is the ex-officio chairman is the vice-chairman of Jan Abiyan Parishad, the state ministers and 15 representatives of non-government organisations have been nominated as members of the parishad’s governing body.
While the state chief secretary is the chairman, the principal secretaries of different departments along with five nominated persons are members of the executive body of this organisation, which has been helping the state BJP government to penetrate at the village level through with the help of NGOs and their volunteers in various development related initiatives.