Ashish Pandey 
New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government on Saturday approved an allocation of Rs 5,100 crore for implementing a scheme to provide financial assistance to eligible women, even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the delay in fulfilling a promise the ruling dispensation made in the run up to the assembly elections last month.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, BJP President JP Nadda announced the immediate implementation of the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, under which eligible women in the national capital will receive Rs 2,500 each per month.
The announcement was made in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other senior BJP leaders, at an event of the party’s Mahila Morcha.
Ms Gupta said a committee headed by her has been formed to implement the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana. “We had a cabinet meeting earlier in the day and the cabinet has put its stamp of approval on the promise we (the ruling BJP) had made in our (poll) manifesto. It has approved the scheme to support poor women in Delhi,” she said.
To oversee the implementation of the scheme, a committee headed by her has been formed, Ms Gupta said. Senior ministers Ashish Sood, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra will also be part of the committee, she said, adding that a dedicated web portal will be launched for registrations under the scheme.
In its election manifesto, the BJP had pledged Rs 2,500 each per month for women, surpassing the AAP offer of Rs 2,100.
The AAP, which has been criticising the BJP government for not approving the scheme in its first Cabinet meeting, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier, launched a fresh attack on the BJP government.
“PM Modi, in another rally, promised that on March 8, Rs 2,500 would be deposited into the account of the women… Today was the day and the women of Delhi were waiting. But today, the BJP-led Delhi government has proven that it wasn’t PM Modi’s guarantee but a ‘jumla’. Leave alone giving the money, the women did not even get a scheme or portal to register themselves to avail the benefits of the scheme… They only got a four-member committee,” AAP leader Atishi, who is a former Chief Minister, told a press conference.
In a letter to Ms Gupta earlier, Ms Atishi said: “BJP leader and Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi ji, had promised the mothers and sisters of Delhi in a rally organized on January 31, 2025, during the election campaign that after the formation of the BJP government, a scheme of Rs 2,500 per month would be passed for them in the very first cabinet meeting. He said – this is Modi’s guarantee.”
She added that the BJP-led Delhi government held its first cabinet meeting on February 20, but the scheme was not passed. “The mothers and sisters of Delhi had believed in Modi ji’s guarantee, and now they feel cheated,” she added.
AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, in a statement, also reminded the BJP of its promises made to the people before coming to power.
Earlier, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari explained that a list of beneficiaries eligible for the scheme will be prepared. The entire process of providing Rs 2,500 to every financially poor woman will be completed in one-and-a-half months, he said, appealing to women to register for the scheme.
Mr Nadda, during his address at the event, said the work for women’s empowerment has begun in Delhi with the introduction of the scheme. “The victory in the national capital would not have been possible without the support of women,” Mr Nadda, who is also the Union Health Minister, said.
In a statement, the government said the scheme is a “major step towards ensuring economic stability and social upliftment for women, particularly those from poor families”.
In the February 5 elections, the BJP secured a sweeping victory, winning 48 of the 70 seats and marking its return to power in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years. The AAP was reduced to 22 seats, while the Congress failed to open its account.
The issue of financial support for women was central to the Delhi election campaign, with both AAP and BJP making competing promises. Ever since the election results were declared on February 8, the AAP has been maintaining pressure on the new administration to fulfil its commitments.
In its first cabinet meeting, the newly-formed Delhi government approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, discussed the Mahila Samridhi Yojana, and decided to table 14 pending CAG reports in the first session of the eighth Assembly.
Neetu