'Brother' Kejriwal's govt announces Rs 1000 monthly aid for women above 18

Delhi Finance Minister Atishi on Monday announced the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana' for the 2024-25 fiscal, under which Rs 1,000 will be given monthly to women aged above 18 from the fiscal year 2024-25.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called it the "world's biggest programme" for women empowerment.

During her maiden budget speech, Atishi said the amount will help women in fulfilling their needs without being dependent on anyone. She announced an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for the scheme for the welfare and empowerment of women from 2024-25.

Women registered as voters in Delhi who are not availing of benefits under any other government scheme will be eligible under the scheme. The woman should neither be a government employee nor an income taxpayer.

"Whenever a daughter or sister in our families comes home, her elder brother or father gives her some money because they want their sister or daughter to fulfil her needs without being dependent on anyone. Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, fulfilling the duty of being an elder brother, and a son, is bringing the ‘Mukyamantri Mahila Samman Yojna’ in the year 2024-25," Atishi said in the Delhi assembly.

Under this scheme, every woman above the age of 18 years will be eligible to receive an honorarium of Rs. 1000 per month.

"So, whether she is a daughter studying in college needing extra books, a daughter preparing for a government job needing coaching, or a woman wishing to watch a movie in a cinema hall; now, they won't have to ask for money from anyone for their expenses because their brother Arvind Kejriwal will provide them with Rs  1,000 every month," she said.

The government announced an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana' for the welfare and empowerment of women from 2024-25. Under this scheme, women above 18 years of age will get Rs 1,000 per month, she said.

For a woman to become eligible under the scheme, she should be a Delhi voter, should not be availing benefits under any other government scheme and should not be an income taxpayer, she said.

To benefit from this scheme, any eligible woman will have to fill out a form and give a self-declaration that she is not a part of any government scheme, is not a government employee and is not an income taxpayer, Atishi said.

"On the basis of self-declaration, that woman will start getting the benefits of this scheme. Along with the form, every woman will have to provide her Aadhar card and bank account information," she said.

According to the final electoral roll of Delhi published in January this year, there are 67,30,371 female voters in the national capital.

"It is written in our scriptures that where the women are worshipped and respected, gods reside there, and where women are not honoured, all the good deeds performed there become fruitless. I trust that due to the efforts made for ensuring women's safety and dignity in Delhi, everyone will receive the blessings of Lord Shri Ram," Atishi said in her maiden budget speech.

In the post-budget press conference, Kejriwal called the scheme the "world's biggest scheme" for women empowerment.

"The Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana is perhaps the world's biggest programme of women empowerment. It will incur a huge amount. We will implement the scheme after the Lok Sabha polls," he said.

Kejriwal said that the scheme will be brought before the Cabinet and then will be subsequently notified.

"There are around 67 lakh women voters in Delhi. You can exclude the income tax payer women from it and the women who avail of the benefits of government schemes. I think it (the scheme) will benefit around 45 to 50 lakh women," he said.

Kejriwal was asked whether the scheme will impact vote banks in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In response, he said, "It should."

In her budget speech, Atishi also shared that the AAP government is providing financial assistance to senior citizens, women and specially-abled people through various schemes.

Around 9.03 lakh beneficiaries are receiving financial assistance ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 every month. This includes four lakh senior citizens, 3.75 lakh widows and women in distress and 1.23 lakh persons with special needs.

She proposed Rs 2,714 crore for these beneficiaries in the budget of 2024-25. 158.

She proposed a budget outlay of Rs 6,216 crore for various schemes under the social welfare department, women and child development department and SC/ST/OBC welfare department.

Atishi said in comparison to 2014 and 2024, there has been a significant change in the lives of women in Delhi.