Regardless of the Delhi authorities’s Finance Division expressing concern that the expenditure on subsidies would enhance if the administration’s flagship Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana had been carried out, the Cupboard on Thursday authorized the scheme and the Aam Aadmi Get together (AAP) promised that the month-to-month allowance for beneficiaries can be raised if it returned to energy.
On Thursday, The Indian Categorical reported that the Finance Division had identified that the expenditure on subsidies would enhance from 15% to twenty% if the scheme was carried out and added that “implementing a scheme by a mortgage will probably be financially not viable”. Whereas the Basic Administrative Division (GAD) mentioned as per the process, “discover must be given at the very least two days previous to convening a Cupboard assembly”, ministers led by Chief Minister Atishi met at 10 am to approve the scheme. By 1.10 pm, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal introduced that for now, beneficiaries would obtain a month-to-month allowance of Rs 1,000 and the quantity can be elevated to Rs 2,100 after the polls.
Nevertheless, there is no such thing as a readability but on the timeline of the scheme’s implementation and by when girls will begin receiving the cash. Then there are the questions on its monetary viability. It’s learnt that the Finance Division highlighted the fiscal state of affairs of Delhi and suggested the federal government to not carry the scheme until a concrete plan with a roadmap was ready.
In response, Atishi is learnt to have alleged that the Finance Division’s issues had been an instance of their “obstructionist strategy” that has halted current schemes and routine departmental work over the previous yr.
“The elections are approaching and the Mahila Samman scheme was one of many high guarantees of the celebration. Additionally, it was proposed within the Finances and the federal government promised that it could be carried out by the top of this yr solely. If the scheme had not been introduced on time, the Opposition would have gotten a possibility and the celebration might have misplaced voters,” mentioned an AAP chief.
The chief added, “Now, it might take time to implement the scheme however now a message has reached the individuals, particularly our goal voters, that the Cupboard has handed the scheme and will probably be carried out after the polls … So, the Cupboard approving the scheme and the AAP chief’s announcement that month-to-month allowance can be elevated was the cherry on high.”
AAP sources mentioned the scheme was going to be the important thing a part of its election marketing campaign and therefore it was vital to make the announcement as rapidly as attainable. In latest elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh final yr, the return of the incumbent governments was powered by girls voters. All three governments had introduced or tweaked money handout schemes for ladies. That these schemes had an influence was mirrored within the elevated voting share of ladies in these states.
As per the electoral rolls, there are 64 lakh girls voters within the Nationwide Capital, of whom 10 lakh girls are taxpayers and 4.5 lakh are girls already availing of pension schemes. The AAP authorities has estimated that 38 lakh girls might avail of the Mahila Samman scheme, a number of of them from the economically weaker sections residing in slums and unauthorised colonies. “The lower-middle class residing in JJ (jhuggi jhopri) clusters and slums have been devoted AAP voters. The celebration has a powerful presence on this part of the society,” mentioned an AAP insider.
Saying the scheme on the celebration’s headquarters at Feroz Shah Marg in Delhi, Kejriwal mentioned, “AAP volunteers will go to each road and family. Get your self registered, they are going to offer you a registration card. Maintain it protected. After the elections, Rs 2,100 will are available your accounts.”
The AAP playbook
This isn’t the primary time that the AAP is about to enter an election on the again of a populist measure. Earlier than the 2014-’15 Meeting elections, the celebration introduced an electrical energy subsidy that proved to be a game-changer.
Earlier than the 2020 Meeting polls, the AAP introduced a scheme permitting girls to committee in state-run buses totally free. To this point, greater than 100 crore tickets have been bought thus far underneath this scheme, based on authorities estimates. Earlier than the polls, the federal government additionally introduced the Teerth Yatra Scheme offering free pilgrimage for senior residents. In keeping with the federal government, greater than 84,000 senior residents have visited totally different non secular locations throughout India underneath the scheme.
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