Delhi Finance Minister Atishi on Monday announced the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana scheme that will provide Rs 1,000 per month as assistance to women in the national capital, The Indian Express reported.
The scheme was announced as part of Delhi’s Budget for the financial year 2024-’25, which has an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore.
While presenting the Budget, Atishi said that the Delhi government is inspired by the ideals of Ram Rajya, or the utopian reign of the Hindu deity Ram.
She said that under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, the Delhi government will hand out Rs 1,000 per month to women, above the age of 18. The scheme will exclude government employees, income tax payers and those receiving pensions, Atishi said.
The scheme is likely to benefit 45 lakh to 50 lakh women in the national capital, the minister added.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the scheme was a big announcement for his “sisters and mothers” in the national capital.
“Everyone talks about empowerment, but what is being done is a question,” the chief minister said. “If we will not give them money, then how will they be empowered and independent… financial independence is important for a woman”.
Kejriwal said that with the launch of this scheme, women will not have to ask for money from their parents and husbands.
The chief minister also urged the people of Delhi to back the Aam Aadmi Party and the Opposition INDIA alliance in the Lok Sabha elections.
In 2019, the Aam Aadmi Party government had made travel for women free in the Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster buses.
Delhi Budget
Atishi said that the Delhi government had allocated Rs 16,396 crore for education for the financial year 2024-’25, which is around 21% of the Budget.
“In 2014, the gross state domestic product of Delhi was Rs 4.95 lakh crore and in the last 10 years, it has increased two-and-a-half times to Rs 11.08 lakh crore,” she said.
The Budget outlay for civic bodies was increased from Rs 8,241 crore in 2023-’24 to Rs 8,423 crore for the 2024-’25 fiscal year.
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