"Madhya Pradesh has covered a long distance of development": CM Chouhan on state's foundation day

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], November 1 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has extended greetings on the occasion of the 68th Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day saying the state has covered a long distance of development in these years.
CM Chouhan made the remark while speaking to ANI in the state capital Bhopal on Wednesday.
"Today, on the occasion of Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day, I extend best wishes to all the people of the state. This is the 68th Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day. In these 68 years, Madhya Pradesh has covered a long distance of development. I remember when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in 2003, the per capita income was Rs 11,000, today it has increased to Rs 1.40 lakh," CM Chouhan said.
He further said that the total budget of the state used to be Rs 23,000 crore, today it increased to Rs 3,14,000 crore. The size of GSDP of the state was Rs 71000 crores, now it has reached around Rs 15 lakh crores. The agricultural growth rate of Madhya Pradesh used to be only two-three percent but for many years Madhya Pradesh succeeded in achieving an agricultural growth rate of over 18%.
"The growth rate of Madhya Pradesh is also among the leading states of the country at present, it is over 16 per cent. There used to be 60,000 kilometers of dilapidated roads in Madhya Pradesh during 2003-04 and today there are 5 lakh kilometers of excellent roads in the state which we have built. In Madhya Pradesh, irrigation used to be done only in 7.50 lakh hectares and today we are irrigating 47 lakh hectares of land and continuous work is going on to increase it to 65 lakh hectares," CM Chouhan said.
The CM further said that every year the foundation day was celebrated with huge enthusiasm but due to the model code of conduct, they could not celebrate the state's foundation day officially this year.
"Every year, we celebrate Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day with huge enthusiasm. We started this legacy. But this time, due to the Model Code of Conduct, we cannot celebrate it officially. But after December 3, when the BJP will again form the government in the state, then we will decide a date to celebrate the Foundation Day. We will also decide the road for prosperous and developed Madhya Pradesh and will pledge to follow it," CM Chouhan said.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the five states set to hold elections this year. The state is scheduled to undergo polls in one phase on November 17 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3. (ANI)