Bizarre Delhi twist: Depts caution against govt's promised schemes

Two departments of the Delhi government on Wednesday issued public notices warning against the registration drives currently underway for two schemes promising allowances for women and free health care for seniors - highlighting the bizarre internal discord within the administration even as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made the schemes central to its campaign for the upcoming assembly elections.

- Paras Singh

The notices by the government's women and child development (WCD) department and health department called the "Mahila Samman" and "Sanjeevani" schemes "non-existent" and, urged residents not to share personal data, sparking political uproar. The notices further said that no such scheme had been notified by the Delhi government.

Reacting sharply, chief minister Atishi alleged the notices were issued "under pressure" from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and vowed legal and administrative action against the officers responsible. "Wrong information has been issued by these officers. They will face strict action. The Mahila Samman scheme has been notified and is in the public domain. These are AAP's promises and guarantees," Atishi said at a press conference.

The notices targeted the AAP's Mahila Samman Yojana, which offers ₹2,100 per month to women, and the Sanjeevani scheme, which promises free health care to seniors. Both initiatives were announced by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal earlier this week as election promises if the party returns to power in 2025.

The AAP said on Tuesday that over 1.3 million people have registered for the Mahila Samman Yojana and 150,000 for the Sanjeevani Yojana.

The BJP used the notices to attack the AAP-led government, saying that they show how the AAP intends to "misuse personal data" collected during these registration drives.