The Agriculture Minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh has said that the Genetically Modified crops have no place in the state. His comments came barely three days before the likely announcement by the centre on the fate of Bt Brinjal.

The minister expressed that he wants his state to emerge as India first "organic farming state" and also said, "I have already written a letter to the Centre against the commercialization of Bt Brinjal in country, as it wasn't good for human health and environment."

A raid by the income tax department at the residence of IAS Officer BL Agrawal of Chhattisgarh has found that the officer has 220 bank accounts and assets worth millions of rupees.

He had opened these accounts in many fake names as well as in the names of his domestic helps. Apart from his residence, raids were also conducted on the business establishments of his relatives on Thursday.

To provide irrigation facilities to the drought-prone Bundelkhand region in central India, the Centre has decided to bear bulk of the costs involved.

The Planning Commission and ministry of water resources last week decided to grant special category status to the impoverished region, comprising nine districts of Uttar Pradesh and 15 districts in Madhya Pradesh, for the irrigation projects.

The state governments can now seek 90 per cent grant assistance from the Centre to develop irrigation projects under the accelerated irrigation benefit scheme.

Bhopal, Jan 27 - Yash Raj Films, producer of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Chak De India", have donated Rs. 2 lakh for the welfare of women hockey players in India, who are agitating against non-payment of their dues.

Senior player Deepika Murthy received an SMS about the donation from Yash Raj Films Monday, chief coach of the team M. K. Kaushik confirmed Wednesday.

"With this the total balance in the joint account opened by the players in a bank at Bhopal will reach Rs. 3,09,000," he said.

Bhopal, Jan 11 : Unaccounted assets worth over Rs. 2 crore have been found during search operations conducted at the houses of Ujjain Additional Collector Prahlad Amarchiva in Madhya Pradesh, an official said Monday.

"A Lokayukta (ombudsman) squad raided the house and other premises of Additional Collector Prahlad Amarchiva in Ujjain Sunday and unearthed cash, jewellery and properties worth over Rs. 2 crore," said Superintendent of Police (Lokayukta) Avinash Sharma.

Amarchiva is posted as protocol officer in Ujjain district.

Bhopal, Jan 11- A hunt has been launched for Asha Rani, a legislator of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Bijawar in Madhya Pradesh, who has been booked for allegedly abetting the suicide of her domestic help in 2007.

Police officials said Monday they are also looking for six other suspects.

A case has also been registered against Asha Rani and her husband Ashok Vir Vikram Singh alias Bhaiya Raja, a former legislator, on the charge of abducting the maidservant, keeping her as a bonded labourer and sexually abusing her.

He is already in judicial custody for allegedly murdering his 21-year-old grand-niece Vasundhara Bundela, alias Nishi, whose bullet-riddled body was found in the city's Misrod area Dec 11 last year.

Bhopal, Jan 11- A hunt has been launched for Asha Rani, a legislator of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Bijawar in Madhya Pradesh, who has been booked for allegedly abetting the suicide of her domestic help in 2007.

Police officials said Monday they are also looking for six other suspects.

A case has also been registered against Asha Rani and her husband Ashok Vir Vikram Singh alias Bhaiya Raja, a former legislator, on the charge of abducting the maidservant, keeping her as a bonded labourer and sexually abusing her.

He is already in judicial custody for allegedly murdering his 21-year-old grand-niece Vasundhara Bundela, alias Nishi, whose bullet-riddled body was found in the city's Misrod area Dec 11 last year.

Bhopal, Jan 10 - Asha Rani, a legislator of the ruling-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh, has been booked for abetting the suicide of her domestic help in 2007, while a case has also been registered against her husband Ashok Vir Vikram Singh for abduction and rape of the maid, police said Sunday.

"The fresh FIR (first information report) was registered in connection with the suicide of their domestic help. The victim, Tijji Bai, who had sustained serious burn injuries was found dead at the Bhopal residence of the leader in November 2007," a senior police officer told IANS.

Bhopal, Jan 8 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Sing Chouhan Friday sought cooperation from all political parties and social groups in reaching consensus of electoral reforms, such as fixed terms for legislatures and simultaneous elections to parliament and state assemblies.

In separate letters to legislators, members of parliament, national leaders of various political parties and social activists, Chouhan suggested that elctions to both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies be held simultaneously and the elected houses be run mandatorily for full term of five years.

Bhopal, Jan 8 : The Madhya Pradesh government's Women and Child Development (WCD) department is all set to launch a website for missing children in the state which could help in identifying and tracing them, an official said Friday.

"We are planning a website for the missing children, so that they could be clearly identified," the department's deputy director and Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) in-charge Mamta Pathak told IANS, adding that the initiative would help to trace and rehabilitate missing children.

Bhopal, Jan 7 - Five persons, including a local BJP leader, were killed when a speeding truck hit their car in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, police said Thursday.

The victims were on their way to Shivpuri town, 325 kms from here, late Wednesday when the accident occurred.

They have been identified as local BJP leader K. K. Mishra, Keshav Pathak, Kasturi, Arvind and Naal Singh.

The police said that a case has been registered against the truck driver, who is absconding. (IANS)

Bhopal, Jan 6 : Tension prevailed in parts of Sagar town in Madhya Pradesh Wednesday after a corporator was shot dead by a dismissed soldier, police said.

Subhash Ghoshi, formerly of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was shot dead after an altercation with the accused, Khoob Singh, who is with the BJP Defence Cell.

"Supporters of the corporator stoned Khoob Singh's residence. The situation is now under control," Sagar's Superintendent of Police Vijay Raghuvanshi told IANS. (IANS)

Bhopal, Jan 6 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to intervene and resolve the matter regarding the shutting down of the Madhya Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (MPRTC) and granting voluntary retirement from service (VRS) to its employees.

In a letter to the prime minister Tuesday, Chouhan also expressed concern over the "inconsistent response" of central ministries on the closure of the state transport body which, he said, has been hanging in balance since 2005.

Bhopal, Jan 6 - The Madhya Pradesh government will blacklist suppliers of drugs and equipment if they fail to deliver required items within 45 days of placing an order, an official said Wednesday.

Under the new drug policy, "if a supplier does not supply the required items within 45 days, he will be blacklisted and penalty of up to 20 percent will be imposed on him", the official said.

Bhopal, Jan 5 : Normalcy appeared to be fast returning to Maksi town in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh after an indefinite curfew was imposed following a clash between two groups over a cricket match last week, police said Tuesday.

"Curfew has been relaxed since 9.00 a. m. Tuesday and the relaxation will continue up to 7 p. m. if no untoward incident occurs," Shajapur District Collector R. K. Sharma told IANS.

Bhopal, Jan 5 : Three men including a junior doctor accused of raping a 27-year-old MPhil student of Barkatullah University here have been arrested, police said Tuesday.

The trio first got the victim inebriated and then took turns to rape her, police alleged.

The incident came to light when the victim sent an SMS to her dean Monday afternoon.

Bhopal, Jan 4 : An engineering student fired shots and seriously injured a girl before shooting himself dead, police said Monday.

The shooting occurred at Khajuri Sadak area of the city when the girl, Chhaya, an engineering student too, was returning home from her college after an examination. A youth -- an enginering student identified as Vinay Pachori -- stopped her and talked to her for some time, police said, citing eyewitnesses.

Indore, Jan 4 : At least half-a-dozen men wearing masks barged into the Indore branch of Oriental Bank of Commerce Monday and looted more than Rs. 13 lakh, police said.

The hiest took place at 11.15 a. m. when the robbers armed with a revolver and a knife entered the bank's branch at Sapna Sangeeta Road in Indore and threatened the cashier and other bank employees. They easily went away with the money in a car parked outside the branch.

Gwalior, Jan 4 : Country’s premier youth travel and adventure organisation Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI) is conducting adventure sports training to students of Madhya Pradesh.

According to YHAI, the training is aimed at overall development of the youth and also to reduce internal fear.

The students are trained in rock climbing, archery, shooting, wall climbing, night tracking and etc.

The training not only enhances physical fitness but also the concentration level.

Bhopal, Jan 4 : Police in Madhya Pradesh Monday claimed that the arrest of the son of a former Nepali minister in Kathmandu for running a fake Indian currency racket was through the leads provided by them.

"Nepal Rastriya Janata Dal chairman Yunus Ansari, the kingpin of fake Indian currency notes racket, has been arrested in Kathmandu on the basis of the leads provided by us to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBl) which subsequently passed it on to agencies in Nepal," an official of the Anti Terror Squad (ATS) said.