A view of a polluted bank of the Yamuna river with toxic foam floating on it, at the Kalindi Kunj ghat in Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
With the Delhi government preparing for a new Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, two schemes which are on top priority are the BJP’s poll promises of ₹2,500 per month for women and implementation of the Central government’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The priority is also on the cleaning of the polluted Yamuna River and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has called for a meeting on the issue on Thursday (February 20, 2025).
According to officials, while the Ayushman Bharat Yojana is not likely to have any extra financial burden on the Delhi government and can even help the government with funds for health infrastructure, the assistance for women is a costly affair.
The Finance Department had last year raised red flags that the then AAP government’s plan to give ₹1,000 to women per month could cost the exchequer around ₹4,560 crore a year — which is 6% of the total outlay of the 2024-25 Annual Delhi Budget of ₹76,000 crore.
The total number of beneficiaries estimated at that time was 38 lakh women.
Officials said the promise of ₹2,500 by the BJP would be even more expensive if there are not exclusions. “If implemented without any exclusions based on income level etc. the scheme will cost about ₹10,000 crore a year, which is about 12% of the total budget. Such an outlay for just one scheme is extremely high and more than the total outlay for some of the departments,” an officer said.
WATCH | Polluted river, polluted promises: The Yamuna’s silent crisis
Revenue deficit
The Finance Department had also last year warned that Delhi could be in ‘revenue deficit’ after having ‘revenue surplus’ for years. “That was said under a particular situation and whether that will be the case after implementation of the new schemes will have to be seen,” another official said.
Meanwhile, multiple officials said the new relationship between the Lieutenant Governor and the BJP government could help to expedite different development works.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the scheme for ₹2,500 would be approved in the first Cabinet meeting and women would get the money by March 8. A Cabinet meeting is likely to be held on Thursday evening.
Under the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) funds are given to the States on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels — primary, secondary and tertiary. “This will help the government in building health infrastructure. For instance, currently, the State government is spending 100% money for mohalla clinics and under PM-ABHIM, the Centre will give 60% of the funds. But they will have to rename them as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs,” the official said.
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Strong signal
In a major development, the PMO has called for a meeting on “cleaning and rejuvenation” of the Yamuna river at 4.30 p.m. on Thursday. Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, Chief Secretary Dharmendra, and top officials from the Central government are scheduled to attend the meeting, an official source told The Hindu.
“It is a strong signal that the cleaning of Yamuna will be monitored directly by the PMO. This will help for better coordination and strict action,” the source said.
Pollution of river Yamuna had taken centre stage in the Delhi Assembly election campaign of all three main political parties, as it is linked to Chhath Puja celebrated by people from Purvanchal (mainly areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar).
People from Purvanchal form a major vote bank in Delhi and they consider Yamuna as a holy river and take a dip in the river during Chhath Puja.
Top BJP leaders, including Mr. Modi and Amit Shah, had highlighted how people are able to take a dip in the Ganga during the Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh and the pollution in Yamuna in Delhi and promised to clean the river.
The importance that the BJP is giving to Yamuna is evident from the fact that Mr. Modi had started his victory speech on February 8 by chanting “Yamuna Maiya ki Jai”.
Published – February 19, 2025 10:01 pm IST
