Delhi CM Rekha Gupta presents 1 year report card: Welfare, infrastructure, and governance reforms

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta highlighted the BJP's first year of governance focused on welfare, infrastructure, and reforms

The first year of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) governance in Delhi was focussed on delivering “visible results on the ground”, chief minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday as she presented her one-year report card, highlighting welfare schemes, infrastructure projects and governance reforms undertaken since assuming office.

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta presents her report during a press conference. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat alongside members of her cabinet, Gupta released a booklet titled “Pehla Kadam Badlav Ka, Ek Saal Vikas Ka” (First Step Towards Change, A Year of Progress) documenting the government’s initiatives across health, education, infrastructure, pollution control and Yamuna rejuvenation.

“The past year has not been about announcements and advertisements, but about visible results on the ground. These 365 days have been devoted to moving Delhi from stagnation to gain momentum, from confrontation to coordination, and from publicity to performance,” Gupta said.

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Crediting the development to the Prime Minister’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas”, she said the government took major steps in healthcare, education, infrastructure and governance reforms. “This report card is not merely a compilation of achievements, but evidence of a year marked by hard work, reform and tangible outcomes,” she said.

Under welfare measures, Gupta said the government implemented the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme as a priority upon assuming office. She said that nearly 700,000 people have registered under the scheme in Delhi, and more than 30,000 beneficiaries have received treatment under Ayushman Bharat and the Vaya Vandana scheme.

The government also launched Atal Canteens to provide subsidised meals. “At present, 71 Atal Canteens are serving approximately 71,000 needy individuals daily, ensuring that no one sleeps hungry,” Gupta said.

On the infrastructure front, Gupta said ₹700 crore has been spent on developing around 13,000 flats for the economically weaker sections (EWS) at Savda Ghevra, Bhalswa, Dwarka and Sultanpuri, and these will be allotted soon.She sought to highlight that Delhi offers minimum wages of ₹22,411 per month, which is the highest in the country.

She also said that 500 childcare centres, called “Palna” centres, have been opened for working women.

In terms of utilities, Gupta said 13 kilometres of water transmission pipelines have been replaced and 172 kilometres of new pipelines have been laid in the past year, while 180km of sewage transmission pipelines have been laid or approved.

“The Chandrawal Water Treatment Plant is being expedited to permanently resolve water issues in 10 assembly constituencies,” she said, adding that new treatment plants are planned in Chhattarpur, Iradat Nagar and Najafgarh.

Gupta said the Delhi Jal Board’s water amnesty scheme enabled around 352,000 consumers to settle pending bills, generating ₹484 crore in revenue despite waiving penalties and interest to the tune of ₹14,000 crore.

Under the health sector, Gupta said 370 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established to provide primary healthcare services. She said that the government has introduced new dialysis machines, ambulances and specialised medical facilities at hospitals, and sanctioned 4,000 new healthcare posts.

Long-pending hospital projects have also been completed, including new blocks at Guru Gobind Singh Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, she said.

In the education front, Gupta said the government enacted a fee regulation law to control fee hikes by private schools and upgraded infrastructure, creating 7,000 smart classrooms and modernising 75 government schools.

In terms of roadworks, Gupta said 550 kilometres of roads under the Public Works Department (PWD) were approved for carpeting in the first phase, and 150km have been completed. She said that work on a drainage master plan, costing ₹56,000 crore, has been initiated to address waterlogging, especially planning permanent solutions to 72 chronic waterlogging points.

On the pollution and waste management fronts, Gupta said sewage treatment plants have been upgraded and new decentralised plants have been planned to improve sewage treatment capacity. “We have started extensive work on the three biggest legacy problems of Delhi that the previous government did nothing about. There are Yamuna cleaning, waste mountains and air pollution,” she said.

Gupta added that biomining capacity to process legacy waste has been increased and a waste-to-energy plant is under construction at the Narela-Bawana landfill. The government has also allocated funds to strengthen waste management and mechanised cleaning.

Gupta said governance reforms have included the roll-out of digital systems, such as the e-Vidhan Sabha, digital financial management platforms and an online grievance portal to improve transparency and efficiency. She said the government has also released compensation to families affected by the 1984 riots, transferred funds to beneficiaries under the Ladli scheme, and provided employment support and financial relief to eligible families.

“The era of announcements has ended, the year of results has begun. This first year has set a new direction, and the coming years will further transform Delhi,” said Gupta.

Cabinet ministers Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra and Pankaj Kumar Singh, along senior officials, were present at the event.

Reacting to the CM’s press conference, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that the past year of governance was a period of “betrayal and farziwada”. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia claimed women did not receive the promised ₹2,500 assistance, over 100,000 youths lost jobs and civic conditions worsened.

Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav criticised the government and said the Congress would present “the ground reality” of the BJP’s governance in Delhi.