Although the Delhi government’s finance department expressed concern over the increase in subsidy expenditure, the administration’s flagship Chief Minister Mahila Samman Yojana In effect, the Cabinet on Thursday approved the scheme and promised to increase the monthly stipend for beneficiaries if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) returns to power.
Thursday, The Indian Express The Department of Finance has pointed out that if the plan is implemented, the expenditure on grants will increase from 15 percent to 20 percent and it has been mentioned that ‘implementation of the plan through loans is not financially possible’. According to the procedure, the General Administration Department (GAD) has said that ‘information should be given at least two days before calling the Cabinet meeting’, while the ministers under the leadership of Chief Minister Atishi held a meeting at 10 am to approve the plan. At 1.10 pm, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal announced that for now, the beneficiaries will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 and this amount will be increased to Rs 2,100 after the polls.
However, the timeline for implementation of the scheme and when women will start receiving the money is still unclear. Then there are questions about its financial viability. It is said that the Finance Department has advised the government not to bring this plan until a solid plan with a roadmap is made highlighting the financial situation of Delhi.
In response, Atishi alleged that the interests of the finance department are an example of their “obstructive approach” that has stalled existing plans and regular departmental work over the past year.
“Elections are approaching and Mahila Samman Yojana was the party’s major promise. Also, it was proposed in the budget and the government promised to implement it only by the end of this year. Had the plan not been announced on time, the opposition would have had a chance and the party might have lost voters,” the AAP leader said.
The leader said, ‘Now it may take time to implement this plan, but now the message has reached the people and especially our target voters that the Cabinet has passed the plan and it will be implemented after the elections. The scheme and the announcement of increasing the monthly allowance of the Aam Aadmi Party chief was the cherry on top.
AAP sources said that this scheme is going to be a key part of its election campaign and hence it was important to make the announcement as soon as possible. In recent elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh last year, the comeback of incumbent governments was driven by women voters. All three governments announced or tweaked cash transfer schemes for women. The impact of these schemes was reflected in the increased voting percentage of women in these states.
According to the electoral roll, there are 6.4 lakh women voters in the national capital, out of which 10 lakh women are tax payers and 4.5 lakh women are benefiting from the pension scheme. The AAP government estimates that 3.8 lakh women will benefit from the Mahila Samman scheme, many of them from economically weaker sections living in slums and unauthorized colonies. “The lower-middle class living in JJ (slum dweller) cluster and basti are dedicated to Aam Aadmi Party voters. The party has a strong presence in this segment of society,” said an AAP insider.
Announcing the plan at the party’s headquarters on Feroz Shah Marg in Delhi, Kejriwal said, “AAP volunteers will go to every street and door to door. Register yourself, they will provide you with a registration card. Keep it safe. After the election, Rs 2100 will be in your account.
The AAP Playbook
This is not the first time that the Aam Aadmi Party has gone to polls on the back of populist measures. Ahead of the 2014-15 assembly elections, the party had announced a power subsidy that proved to be a game-changer.
Ahead of the 2020 assembly elections, AAP announced a plan to allow women to form free committees on state-run buses. According to government estimates, more than 100 crore tickets have been sold under this scheme so far. Before the election, the government had also announced a plan for free pilgrimage for senior citizens. According to the government, more than 84,000 senior citizens from across India have visited various religious places under this scheme.
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