Alcohol Shops to Close in 19 Areas of Madhya Pradesh Starting Today

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has announced that alcohol shops will be closed in 19 religious towns and village panchayats starting from April 1, 2025. This decision was approved in a Cabinet meeting held on January 24 in Maheshwar. The ban will apply to sacred locations like Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Orchha, and Maihar, among others.

The Chief Minister described this as a historic step towards the direction of drug-free society. The areas included in the alcohol ban are one municipal corporation (Ujjain), six municipal councils (Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, Orchha, Maihar, Chitrakoot, Datia), six municipal boards (Mandleshwar, Mandsaur, Multai, Panna, Mandla, Amarkantak), and six village panchayats (Salkanpur, Kundalpur, Bandakpur, Baramankala, Baramankhurd, Linga). These regions have been declared fully sacred, and the alcohol ban will be imposed accordingly.

Important areas where the alcohol ban will be enforced include the city of Baba Mahakal in Ujjain, the origin of the Narmada River in Amarkantak, the Ram Raja Temple in Orchha, the Pitambara Devi Temple in Datia, Maihar, Chitrakoot, Salkanpur, Mandsaur's Pashupatinath Temple, the origin of Tapi River in Multai, and Panna. The decision was made to preserve the sanctity of these places.

While in Maheshwar, the Chief Minister sharply criticized Sonia Gandhi’s article on the education policy. He remarked, "Sonia Gandhi failed to understand the New Education Policy. We take pride in Shivaji over Akbar, yet we respect Rahim and Ras Khan as well." He praised the inclusive nature of the 2020 education policy under PM Modi’s leadership and condemned Sonia’s article.

The Chief Minister stated that the alcohol ban in these religiously significant areas would prove to be a milestone in the direction of a drug-free society. The move will honor the religious sentiments of devotees and boost tourism. The new rules will be effective from April 1.