Townhall Times: In a shocking political maneuver, the BJP-led Delhi Government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction, is deceiving the women of Delhi with promises of financial aid. During the election campaign, Modi announced that Rs 2,500 would be credited to women’s accounts on International Women’s Day. However, he failed to mention any specific terms or conditions for this promised benefit. The statement created the impression that simply being a woman in Delhi was enough to receive the aid. Now, the Delhi Government has introduced new restrictions that threaten to leave many women without the promised support.
Advocate Harsh Gautam has condemned this move, calling it “a blatant election fraud.” He has announced plans to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the Delhi government’s decision.
The Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, which was heavily promoted during the election campaign, promises to provide Rs 2,500 monthly to women between the ages of 21 and 60, provided their annual income is below Rs 3 lakh. The Delhi government has allocated Rs 5,100 crore for the program’s execution.
On International Women’s Day, the BJP-led Delhi Cabinet approved the scheme, with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta heading the implementation committee. Senior ministers such as Ashish Sood, Parvesh Verma, and Kapil Mishra will also be part of the committee, which will oversee the rollout. A new web portal will be launched for women to register and apply for the scheme.
However, the scheme’s rollout has faced sharp criticism from the opposition. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has expressed concern over the delays in the scheme’s implementation. Atishi, the Leader of Opposition, took a jab at the BJP, commenting, “While Modi advised women to link their bank accounts with mobile numbers to receive SMS notifications, today—March 8—women across Delhi are waiting anxiously for the Rs 2,500 to appear in their accounts. I hope Modi’s promise does not end up being a broken one.”
The scheme’s eligibility criteria have sparked outrage due to their exclusionary nature. According to the new terms, only women who possess a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card are eligible. However, the criteria for obtaining a BPL card are even more restrictive: it requires an annual household income of less than Rs 1.5 lakh. Thus, even if a woman’s income is below Rs 2.5 lakh annually, she will not qualify for the scheme if she does not hold a BPL card.
Moreover, additional barriers such as the need for domicile certificates and income proof documents are expected to further delay the disbursement of benefits. Women relying on their Jan Dhan accounts to verify eligibility will find their applications delayed, as these accounts may not reflect all necessary certifications.
As Advocate Gautam pointed out, “No action has been taken yet to ensure that these women will receive the promised amount in their accounts. This is a clear betrayal.” The BJP’s decision to impose such conditions after making a broad promise has left many questioning the true intent behind the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana.
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