Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that the Delhi cabinet has cleared a financial assistance proposal for women over the age of 18.
The former Delhi Chief Minister also announced that the assistance of Rs 1,000 — originally announced in March — would be hiked to Rs 2,100 if the AAP returned to power in the upcoming Assembly polls. While making the announcement, Kejriwal noted that the money would not be credited into bank accounts since polls were likely to be announced soon, but said that registrations for the scheme, named Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, would begin tomorrow.
“Registrations will begin tomorrow, and registrations will begin for Rs 2,100 and not Rs 1,000,” Kejriwal said at the Mahila Samman Yojana event where he was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.
“I had previously promised to give Rs 1,000 to every woman. But some women came to me and said that Rs 1,000 would not be sufficient due to inflation. Hence, Rs 2,100 will be deposited into the accounts of all women. This proposal was passed in the cabinet meeting chaired by Atishi this morning, following which the scheme has been implemented.”
In March this year, the then Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced Rs 1,000 per month to all women above 18 years in the national capital under the Mukhyamantri Samman Yojna. The Delhi initiative bore resemblances to Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana, under which women from lower- and middle-class homes would receive a monthly transfer of Rs 1,000 into their accounts.
Further in his address today, the former Chief Minister said the scheme would prove to be a boon for the Delhi government as it will be “blessed by mothers and sisters” benefitting from the monthly funding. “Women build the future of our country, and we consider it our privilege to support them in their work. Together with Delhi’s two crore population, we overcome the biggest obstacles. No obstacle can prevent us from doing good work for the people of the city,” he added.
Slamming the BJP, Kejriwal said that he first announced the scheme in March and hoped that it would be implemented at least by May. “But they conspired and sent me to jail based on a fraud case. Since my return from jail, I have worked to implement this scheme with Atishi,” Kejriwal said, referring to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in March in connection to the Delhi liquor policy case.
He was released from Tihar Jail on September 13 after the Supreme Court granted him bail. Four days later, he resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister. Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are expected in January 2025. The AAP has so far released two lists of candidates to contest the polls.