Madhya Pradesh to have country’s first ‘Happiness Department’ – aims to make people smile

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Friday cleared the proposal for creating a Happiness Department – a move aimed at making the people of this BJP-ruled state free of their worries.
Madhya Pradesh has thus become the first state in the country to have such a department that will coordinate among other departments and craft polices in a way to increase the level of happiness among its citizens.
As per reports, the MP cabinet has initially allocated a sum of Rs 3.80 crore for setting up the ‘Anand Vibhag’ that will carry out regular research and experiments.
The idea to create the Happiness Department was first floated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan nearly three months back. The Chief Minister had then said that material progress alone is not sufficient to make people happy.
He also said that it will take value-based development, spiritual progress and an overall sense of wellbeing for people to lead happy and satisfied lives.
“It is a first historic decision by any Indian state, There will be a department of Happiness and not the ministry. The state cabinet has okayed its formation today,” Narottam Mishra, cabinet colleague of Chouhan, said today.
“Other countries like Bhutan, the United States and United Nations have various other parameters for happiness indices but we are looking at spiritual happiness and happiness through knowledge in accordance with Indian philosophy to bring Happiness among people of the state,” he added.