Bhopal, Apr 27 (IANS): The Madhya Pradesh government under the Jeevan Shakti scheme has started mass production of masks to check the spread of novel coronavirus.

About 4200 women have registered for the scheme to make masks which will be made of pure cotton. The government will buy the masks from the women and sell at Rs 11 per piece.

According to the scheme, women living in urban areas will be engaged for making masks. They will be required to register at the centralized portal of the government.

The women will have to give details of their address, phone number, bank and aadhaar card to register on the portal. The order will be received through SMS on the registered mobile number.

Each mask should be 8 by 4 size and should be made of pure cotton.

The popularity of the scheme can be gauged from the fact that within an hour of the launch, more than 325 women got themselves registered on the portal.

The government has also issued a helpline number - 0755 2700800 - for any query.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the scheme has been launched to make masks available at a cheap rate and also for the empowerment of women.