The Madhya Pradesh cabinet has decided to increase the age limit for state government servants and officials of state corporations/boards as well as Home Guards to apply for other government posts.

According to the decision in a meeting chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here, the maximum age limit has been increased to 40 years for general category employees and 45 years for employees belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes at par with Government of India.

The cabinet also gave nod to grant tax exemption for 15 and a half years on crude oil to Bharat-Oman Bina refinery with effect from the first purchase of crude oil.

A decision on alloting government land for various power projects was also taken. The cabinet decided to allot land to Messrs Sanghi Energy Limited for establishing a 405 megawatt thermal power plant at village Latagaon, Kakra, Bhadanpur and Umdaur in Satna district.

This land will be allotted after realising premium and lease rent on the basis of guideline for the year 2010-11 and realising the costs of government assets and trees by the forest department.

The company will be allotted 111.535 hectare land on yearly lease rent by declaring the land under public purpose use.

The cabinet has decided to allot 2.18 hectare land to Essar Power Company for establishing Mahan Super Thermal Power Plant at village Bandhaura.

The land will be allotted after assessment of price under guidelines for the year 2010-11 and after realising the prices of trees standing the land on the market rates.

The cabinet decided to allot 45.13 hectare land to Iron Coal Benefaction Private Limited at village Bhumka in Sidhi district for establishing a 1200 megawatt power project.

It was also decided to allot 14.450 hectare government land at village Darsagar for rehabilitating the people affected by Amadand open quarry project of SECL.

The cabinet endorsed the decision to constitute a new tehsil Gormi in Bhind district.

The cabinet endorsed the decision of creation of 53 posts for strengthening Directorate of Mining. Out of these, 43 posts will be filled through direct recruitment.

Similarly, creation of four posts was sanctioned for establishing and main centre of Commissioner Tribal Development's office at Bhopal.

Out of these, the post of assistant director (education) will filled through promotion, posts of technical assistant and technician will be filled on contract basis and that of peon will be made on collector's rate.

The cabinet also sanctioned establishment of four new government colleges and creation of 8 posts for these institutions.