Jan 11, 2026

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh govt put forward a request to the Centre to sanction a financial package of Rs 20,000 crore for Simhastha 2028, a major pilgrimage event to be hosted in Ujjain. The State also urged the Centre to increase its borrowing limit to enable the state to meet all the proposed expenses for the successful conduct of Simhasta, which has been billed as a major showcase event of the govt.

Addressing a meeting of finance ministers of states and union territories in New Delhi on Saturday, ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget, Deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda, who also handles the Finance portfolio, put forward the demand for the financial package for Simhastha 2028. The meeting in the national capital was chaired by Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Speaking during his turn at the meeting, Devda informed that infrastructure development works worth more than Rs 20,000 crore have been approved for Ujjain, requesting that a special financial assistance package of Rs 20,000 crore be approved for the mega event, which is tipped to draw seers, religious preachers and scores of visitors from across the country and beyond.

He said during the Simhastha festival, millions of devotees from India and abroad take a holy dip in the Shipra River, while also visiting the Mahakal temple. Keeping in view the convenience of devotees, the state government was developing basic infrastructure in Ujjain and nearby areas, such as road construction, ghats, bridges and culverts, accommodation facilities for pilgrims, and hospitals, the minister informed.

Currently, infrastructure development projects, worth more than Rs 20,000 crore, have been approved for the mega pilgrimage event. Devda also pointed out that a large state like Madhya Pradesh requires comparatively higher financial resources.

The average annual growth rate of the state's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has remained above 10 per cent. As per the 15th Finance Commission, the state's GSDP is Rs 16,94,477 crore. However, for the purpose of calculating the borrowing limit, the Centre is pegging the state's GSDP at Rs 15,44,141 crore. Devda urged that the borrowing limit be calculated by pegging the state's GSDP at Rs 16,94,477 crore, while also requesting that in the coming years, the borrowing limit be determined on the basis of the GSDP as calculated by the 15th Finance Commission. The state's borrowing limit is calculated on the basis of its GSDP.

Devda claimed Madhya Pradesh's budgetary credibility and quality of expenditure have been appreciated by NITI Aayog and the Reserve Bank of India, adding that the state has consistently remained in revenue surplus and has successfully complied with all prescribed fiscal indicators.