Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 8: In keeping with its poll promise, the BJP government in Delhi presented a gift to women on the International Women’s Day on Saturday with the cabinet giving approval to its “Mahila Samriddhi Scheme” for financial aid of Rs 2,500 per month to poor women.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Delhi cabinet has passed a government scheme for giving ₹2,500 per month to women. A budgetary allocation of ₹5,100 crore has been set aside for the scheme, she said. The Chief Minister however did not specify who all will benefit from the scheme or the total number of beneficiaries.
The announcement was made in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other senior BJP leaders, at an event of the party’s Mahila Morcha. Ms Gupta said, “On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we called a cabinet meeting. Our cabinet has approved the scheme – the promise that we made during the Delhi elections to provide Rs 2,500 to women.”
Ms Gupta said a committee headed by her has been formed to implement the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana. “We had a cabinet meeting earlier in the day and the cabinet has put its stamp of approval on the promise we (the ruling BJP) had made in our (poll) manifesto. It has approved the scheme to support poor women in Delhi,” she said.
To oversee the implementation of the scheme, a committee headed by her has been formed, Ms Gupta said. Senior ministers Ashish Sood, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra will also be part of the committee, she said, adding that a dedicated web portal would be launched for registrations under the scheme.
In its election manifesto, the BJP had pledged Rs 2,500 each per month for women, surpassing the AAP offer of Rs 2,100. The AAP, which has been criticising the BJP government for not approving the scheme in its first Cabinet meeting, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier, launched a fresh attack on the BJP government.
“PM Modi, in another rally, promised that on March 8, Rs 2,500 would be deposited into the account of the women… Today was the day and the women of Delhi were waiting. But today, the BJP-led Delhi government has proven that it wasn’t PM Modi’s guarantee but a ‘jumla’. Leave alone giving the money, the women did not even get a scheme or portal to register themselves to avail the benefits of the scheme… They only got a four-member committee,” AAP leader Atishi, who is a former Chief Minister, told a press conference.
In a letter to Ms Gupta earlier, Ms Atishi had said, Ms Atishi said: “BJP leader and Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi ji, had promised the mothers and sisters of Delhi in a rally organized on January 31, 2025, during the election campaign that after the formation of the BJP government, a scheme of Rs 2,500 per month would be passed for them in the very first cabinet meeting. He said – this is Modi’s guarantee.”
She added that the BJP-led Delhi government held its first cabinet meeting on February 20, but the scheme was not passed. “The mothers and sisters of Delhi had believed in Modi ji’s guarantee, and now they feel cheated,” she added. AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, in a statement, also reminded the BJP of its promises made to the people before coming to power.
In response, the BJP said these statements were a result of AAP’s political frustration after being handed a bruising defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections last month. BJP Delhi Chief Virendraa Sachdeva accused AAP leaders of creating a drama to divert the attention of the public from the CAG reports related to their “corruption.”
The BJP MP from Delhi Manoj Tiwari explained the delay. A list of people eligible for the benefits would be prepared. The entire process of providing Rs 2,500 to every financially poor woman will be completed in one-and-a-half months, he said, appealing to women to register for the scheme.
The BJP president JP Nadda, during his address at the event, said the work for women’s empowerment has begun in Delhi with the introduction of the scheme. “The victory in the national capital would not have been possible without the support of women,” Mr Nadda, who is also the Union Health Minister, said.
In a statement, the government said the scheme is a “major step towards ensuring economic stability and social upliftment for women, particularly those from poor families.” In the February 5 elections, the BJP secured a sweeping victory, winning 48 of the 70 seats and marking its return to power in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years. The AAP was reduced to 22 seats, while the Congress failed to open its account.
The issue of financial support for women was central to the Delhi election campaign, with both AAP and BJP making competing promises. In its first cabinet meeting, the newly-formed Delhi government approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, discussed the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, and decided to table 14 pending CAG reports in the first session of the eighth Assembly.
According to the official statement, the Rs 5,100 crore yearly scheme will provide direct financial assistance to women in Delhi and is a major step towards ensuring economic stability and social upliftment for women, especially those from poor families.
“This initiative is a step towards fulfilling our promise to the women of Delhi. By providing direct financial assistance, we are ensuring economic security, greater independence, and empowerment for women across the city. This scheme is not just financial benefit but a commitment to building a stronger, more self-reliant community of women in Delhi,” the statement further read.
The Rekha Gupta-led government plans to extend the benefits of the scheme using Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), under which the beneficiaries will get the amount directly into their bank accounts. Aadhaar-based e-KYC will also be used in these transactions.
All women, between 18 and 60 years of age, who do not have government jobs and are not beneficiaries of other financial assistance schemes of the government are eligible for the benefits of the scheme.
