New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced a major decision to move towards banning liquor in 17 religious cities of the state. The announcement was made during a cabinet meeting held in Maheshwar on Thursday, where the government approved the first phase of this initiative.
The cities affected by the ban include Ujjain under the Municipal Corporation, Mehar, Datia, Panna, Mandla, Multai, and Mandsaur under Municipal Councils, and Orchha, Chitrakoot, Amarkantak, Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, and Mandleshwar under Nagar Panchayats.
That apart, villages such as Salkanpur, Bandakpur, Kundalpur, Barmankala, Linga, and Barmankhurd under Gram Panchayats will also see the ban implemented. Chief Minister Yadav said that the move aims to preserve the religious sanctity of these areas while taking a step toward prohibition across the state.
Liquor ban implemented
“All kinds of liquor, be it desi or videshi, will be banned totally in the 17 religious cities and towns of our state,” the CM said. The Cabinet has approved the decision today and the ban will be implemented soon. The CM announced that liquor will be prohibited in all places in Madhya Pradesh where Lord Krishna and Lord Ram are believed to have visited.
“On the 300th birth anniversary of Lokmata Rani Ahilyabai Holkar ji in Maheshwar, along with the members of the Council of Ministers, visited the royal throne in the historic fort and paid homage to the statue of Lokmata ji by offering flowers. Lokmata’s incomparable contribution to the cultural consciousness of India, the construction and renovation of monasteries and temples, will always be remembered,” CM Yadav said in a statement.
Tributes to Ahilyabai
During the cabinet meeting, CM Yadav also conducted puja-archana of Maa Narmada at Maheshwar Ghat and paid floral tributes to the statue of Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai in honour of her birth anniversary. “Today, we along with all the ministers came to remember her on the bank of river Narmada here and we will enter a new era of good governance. I remember her virtues and hope to receive her blessings,” the CM said.
