MP to celebrate Vajpayee's birthday as Good Governance Day'

Bhopal, Dec 20: In order to honour former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madhya Pradesh's BJP Government has decided to celebrate his birthday on December 25 as Good Governance Day'. A decision to this effect was taken by the Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Tuesday.

"Since December 25 is Christmas, functions to mark Vajpayee's birthday as Good Governance Day will be held on December 24," Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Cabinet Spokesman Narottam Mishra told reporters.

Referring to the controversy over a move to ban Bhagwad Gita in Siberia, he said the Cabinet demanded that the Centre take up the matter with Russian Government immediately. The Cabinet decided to raise the honorarium for MISA detainees (jailed under the dreaded Maintenance of Internal Security Act after the imposition of Emergency in 1975).

Those who spent between one month to six months in jail will get an honorarium of Rs 10,000, while those who spent more than six months in prison will get Rs 15,000 a month, Mishra said. The Cabinet decided to set up a wildlife rescue centre at Satna with an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore, he said.

It has given approval to three medium irrigation projects to be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 650 crore in Sagar, Panna and Dindori districts, Mishra said. The Cabinet took a number of other decisions, including setting up more primary and middle schools to fulfil the obligation of providing free and compulsory eduction to children under the Right to Education Act.

PTI