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Monthly benefit to women in ₹76,000-crore Delhi budget
Delhi govt announces ₹1,000/month for women below tax threshold in 2024-25 budget, focusing on education, health, and transport, inspired by "Ram Rajya".
Women living in Delhi and earning below the income tax threshold will be entitled to ₹1,000 a month from the government, the Delhi government announced on Monday as part of its budget for the 2024-25 financial year — a policy that finance minister Atishi said was based on the concept of “Ram Rajya”.
The announcement, part of a ₹76,000 crore outlay for the coming financial year, also marks a push to win over women voters in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections in early 2025.
In remarks he delivered later, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was confident the party will retain power in the assembly polls on the back of its work. “The next five budgets of Delhi will also be presented by us,” Kejriwal said, while commenting on the budget.
In addition to the cash scheme for women called Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana — the government estimates it will help five million women — the budget unveiled by Atishi had a large focus on education, health and transport,all areas that the party has focussed on in both its governance and its pitch to voters.
The government explained why it chose to centre the budget on the “Ram Rajya” theme. “Our opponents created obstacles in our work. But the way Ram did not stop even in the face of difficulties, Kejriwal did not stop and continued work for the commitments made to the people even though he faced difficulties,” Atishi said.
“We still have to do a lot of work. But the work done in nine years despite many obstacles is nothing less than a miracle. In the coming year, we will continue to fulfil the dream of Ram Rajya,” she added, indicating a strategy aimed at taking on its chief opponent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is expected to count the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as one of its key achievements.
The finance minister recounted welfare schemes the government runs at present, citing those for free electricity, water, rides in public buses (for women), and free pilgrimage for the elderly. Despite these subsidies, Atishi said, the government has sustained an increase in the budget from ₹30,940 crore in 2014-15 to ₹76,000 crore.
The outlay for the 2024-25 period of ₹76,000 crore is 1.47% higher than the revised estimates of ₹74,900 crore for the year 2023-24, but lower than what was initially pegged for the current financial year — ₹78,800 crore (according to budget estimates for the FY24 fiscal).
The expenditure is proposed to be financed mainly from own resources, the minister said, saying revenues of ₹58,750 crore are estimated from tax earnings, ₹1,000 crore from non-tax revenue, ₹10,000 crore from small saving loans, ₹379 crore from capital receipts, ₹3,223.94 crore from centrally sponsored scheme, ₹1,168 crore as Normal Central Assistance and other central grants. The government has an opening financial surplus of ₹1,478.95 crore, showed the budget documents.
In her two-hour-long speech, the first time she presented the budget after having taken over from Kailash Gehlot, Atishi referred to texts from the Ramayana several times to stress on the administation’s focus in sectors of education, health, women’s safety, food safety, free pilgrimage for the elderly, free electricity illuminating homes and beautification of the city.
The government has had a practice of basing spending plans around themes. For the current fiscal, Gehlot announced it last year as a budget for a “Saaf Sundar aur Aadhunik Dilli” (clean, beautiful and modern Delhi). The first budget of the administration was based on the theme of “swaraj”, or self-rule.
Atishi spoke of the progress the Delhi economy has made with the AAP at the helm. “In 2014- 15, Delhi’s GSDP was ₹ 4,95,000 crore, and today, within ten years, Delhi’s GSDP has reached ₹11,08,000 crore, which is 2.5 times higher. In 2014-15, the per capita income in Delhi was ₹2.47 lakh and in 2023-24, it has increased to ₹4.62 lakh at current prices; which is approximately 2.5 times higher than the national average,” she said.
“Whether it’s the growing economy of Delhi, the doubled per capita income, the transformation of government schools for children, the liberation of women from battles over water tankers, the splendid infrastructure of roads and flyovers in Delhi, or the provision of free hospitals and mohalla clinics for impoverished families – Delhiites have defined a journey from despair to hope. When we interact with the people of Delhi, we receive our report card every day in the form of smiles of children, women, and the elderly,” the finance minister added.
One of the focus areas in the budget is the development of unauthorised colonies. “Along with increasing drains and water lines in unauthorised colonies, the government has built 5,175 kilometres of roads in 1,355 such colonies. A provision of ₹902 crore has been made in the budget for the upliftment of unauthorised colonies in the fiscal year 2024-25,” Atishi said.
The government has also proposed a budget of ₹510 crore to acquire electric buses and, another ₹5,702 crore for larger improvements to the transportation sector. The government’s aim is that, By 2025, Delhi will have more than 10,000 buses, out of which 80% will be electric.
“This budget is inspired by concept of Ram Rajya, all sections and all sectors have been taken care of,” Kejriwal said later.
“The world’s largest women empowerment programme has been announced in today’s budget. To empower women, your Delhi government has taken a step forward and has now given you a gift of ₹12,000 annually. Now all our daughters, mothers and sisters aged above 18 will be given ₹1,000 per month under this scheme. About 50 lakh (five million) women will benefit from this in Delhi. This dream of ours for years has been fulfilled this year. When money comes into the hands of the common person, they go to the market. This creates demand in the market and leads to the country’s progress. The budget of Delhi government is inspired by the concept of Ram Raj,” the chief minister added.
Meanwhile, leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, called the budget a bundle of papers with false announcements. “The use of Lord Shri Ram’s name in the budget is disrespectful. CM Arvind Kejriwal has been opposing the construction of Ram Temple. One of their ministers used derogatory language towards Hindu deities and he remains in the party till date. The Rozgar Budget was presented in 2022 but not even a single person got employment and the government did not talk about it again. Last year, it was said that maximum emphasis would be given on transport but this time there is no mention of last year’s budget in the budget. The public wants to know to what extent the proposals or promises made in the budget last year were implemented. Where did that money go?” Bidhuri said.
