Budget takes care of every sector, AAP govt inspired by ideals of 'Ram Rajya': Delhi CM Kejriwal

Addressing a press conference after Delhi Finance Minister Atishi presented her maiden Budget in the House, Kejriwal said it is a 'very good budget that takes care of every segment of people and sector'.

New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal-led government on Monday “resolved to realise Ram Rajya” in Delhi with its latest budget promising every woman Rs 1,000 per month and allocating Rs 150 crore for new schools, Rs 400 crore for new hospitals and Rs 510 crore for buying e-buses.

The carefully-crafted budget speech by Finance Minister Atishi, her first, was aimed at voters ahead of Lok Sabha elections, as it took stock of what the Kejriwal government did in the past nine years in its journey to ‘Ram Rajya, which was mentioned 23 times in the 45-page speech.

Atishi sought to link every scheme and decisions of the AAP government to the attempts to realise ‘Ram Rajya’ in the national capital. She even sought to compare the mythical Shravan Kumar, who carried his blind parents on his shoulders for pilgrimage, with Kejriwal.

“This is a moment of pride that the Kejriwal government is presenting its tenth budget today. I am not just presenting the tenth budget but a picture of changing Delhi. Kejriwal came as a ray of hope. We are all inspired by Ram Rajya. We are working hard towards realising the dream of Ram Rajya,” she said.

In the journey of establishing 'Ram Rajya' in Delhi, she said an important indicator is the prosperity of the city of Delhi and highlighted that within ten years, the per capita income rose from 2.47 lakh in 2014-15 to Rs 4.62 lakh in 2023-24.

With elections and women voters in mind, she announced the 'Mukyamantri Mahila Samman Yojna' through which every woman of 18 years and above gets Rs 1,000 per month

“So, whether she is a daughter studying in college needing extra books, a daughter preparing for a government job needing coaching, or a woman wishing to watch a movie in a cinema hall; now, they won't have to ask for money from anyone for their expenses because their brother Arvind Kejriwal will provide them with Rs 1,000 every month,” Atishi said.

Only a woman who is a Delhi voter, who is not availing benefits under any other government scheme and not an income taxpayer, will be eligible for the scheme. Delhi has 67.30 lakh women voters in the capital.

In the budget, she also announced that the Business Blasters scheme, which was till now being implemented in schools, will now be implemented in universities and ITIs. She also allocated Rs 150 crore for the construction of new schools and classrooms and another Rs 400 crore for new hospitals and upgrading existing ones.