Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Saturday approved the formation of a panel to develop a memorial and garden dedicated to Gond queen Rani Durgavati for Rs 100 crore. The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also okayed a proposal to set up the Jain Welfare Board. Commemorating the 500th birth anniversary of Gondwana kingdom's legendary warrior queen Rani Durgavati, the council of ministers visited her erstwhile kingdom at Singrampur village in Damoh district in the Bundelkhand region.
The Rani Durgavati memorial and garden will come up in Jabalpur. Panchayat and rural development minister and former Damoh MP Prahlad Patel, public works department minister Rakesh Singh, tribal affairs minister Kunwar Vijay Shah and culture and tourism minister Dharmendra Lodhi will be members of the committee.
Who was Rani Durgavati?
The memorial and garden would be developed in an area spread over 24 acres on Madan Mahal hill in Jabalpur, the state government said. Rani Durgavati was the Gond queen regent of Gondwana who served as regent of Gondwana during the minority of her son, Vir Narayan in the 16th century. She is chiefly remembered for defending Gondwana against the Mughal Empire.
According to the 2011 Census, MP had more than 1.53 core tribals who form 21.08 per cent of the total population. The proposed Jain Welfare Board will ensure the effective implementation of various schemes of the state government for the education of talented children and youth belonging to the community. The board will have a chairman and two members. Jain community has a sizeable population in the western borders of Madhya Pradesh with Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Bundelkhand bordering Uttar Pradesh.
(With PTI inputs)
