Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Saturday raised concerns over the BJP’s promised financial aid scheme, which proposes to provide Rs 2,500 per month to women in Delhi. Dikshit questioned the feasibility of the scheme, noting that it would consume a significant portion of the national capital’s budget, leaving just 40 percent for other essential services.
“If they fulfil that promise, we will welcome it. However, there is only one question: Where will the funds for this come from?” Dikshit said. He pointed out that, according to Election Commission data, there are approximately 72 lakh female voters in Delhi, and fulfilling the promise would cost around Rs 21,600 crore. This is nearly 60 percent of the total development budget, which is about Rs 37,000 crore and includes spending on hospitals, schools, and subsidies. Dikshit expressed concern that the scheme might compromise other important areas of development.
“I hope that the money spent by the Delhi government will not compromise development,” the Congress leader added.
The issue also drew criticism from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. Delhi MLA Gopal Rai called out the BJP for failing to fulfill its election promises and urged the Delhi government to implement the financial aid scheme, also known as the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana. “Before the elections, BJP had promised, so the people of Delhi want the budget to be prepared based on that,” Rai said, emphasizing that the BJP had assured that the aid would be transferred to women’s accounts by March 8.
In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP had promised the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, a cash transfer scheme that would provide Rs 2,500 to all women in the national capital. However, its implementation and funding remain a point of contention among political leaders.