Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of ‘Devi Lok’, a religious centre dedicated to Vijayasan Mata (incarnation of goddess Durga), at Salkanpur in his home district of Sehore.
This is the second such event in the past two days as Mr. Chouhan had laid the foundation stone for `Bhagwan Parshuram Lok’ at Janapav Kuti in Indore on Tuesday. Lord Parshuram is one of the avatars of Vishnu.
The Devi Lok is to be built at an estimated cost of ₹211 crore. The Chief Minister said that along with the temple structures, replicas of 64 yogini, nine forms of Navdurga, Devi Mahatma, Durga Saptashati and various Shaktipeeths and verses will be engraved in the Mata’s temple premises.
Besides offering prayers, Mr. Chouhan also spoke about the Ladli Behna Yojana, a scheme of the government under which ₹1,000 would be paid every month to eligible women beneficiaries in the State. Ahead of the election, the ruling BJP hopes this scheme would attract voters, especially women.
“It is due to Mata’s blessings that the government initiated the Mukhya Mantri Ladli Behna Yojana for the honour of women and to meet their requirements,” said Mr. Chouhan. He added that many schemes including Ladli Lakshmi and Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah have been implemented for women empowerment.
