Arvind Kejriwal announces pension scheme for women
Former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal has promised women that the Delhi government will give them Rs 1,000 every month. However, despite promises made in the 2024 Budget, the plan has yet to be implemented. There are doubts over the implementation of the scheme proposed by Chief Minister Mahila Samman as the Finance Ministry considers it risky to the financial health of the Delhi government.
The finance ministry said that if the Chief Minister Mahila Samman Yojana is implemented, the government subsidy disbursement will increase from 15% to 20%. The finance ministry also said that it would not be easy to implement the scheme by getting a loan from the Delhi government.
Regarding the plan, officials said they had submitted a report to the finance minister on December 9. In this matter, sources said that the Ministry of Women and Child Development is working on implementing the scheme with a proposed budget of around Rs 4,560 crore.
The department also cited a number of shortcomings with the program. Regarding the shortcomings of the scheme, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said that the labor force participation rate of women is likely to decline due to the scheme. Not only that, but the budget for major changes in the plan was very small. In addition to this, a disadvantage was pointed out, namely the risk of misuse in implementing this scheme.
Arvind Kejriwal proposed the plan in the budget
In March this year, the Delhi government announced for the first time in the 2024-25 budget that women would get Rs 1,000 per month. However, the implementation of the scheme was delayed due to the arrest of then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the GST policy case. Talking about the beneficiaries of the scheme, Delhi government officials said that the proposed scheme targets women whose annual household income is less than Rs 3 lakh. Therefore, the number of women to benefit will be approximately 1 million.
The Delhi government has requested loans for: Regarding this plan, sources said that this plan has both advantages and disadvantages. Sources said the Ministry of Women and Child Development stressed that the scheme could have an adverse impact on women’s labor force participation as the monthly gratuity could dissuade women from seeking gainful employment.
The Delhi government has sought a loan from the National Small Savings Fund. Officials said Rs 10,000 crore has been earmarked in the budget for the current fiscal year and the Delhi government has asked the Center to release NSSF loan funds but is yet to receive any funds.
