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Schemes launched by Kejriwal, Atishi disowned by Delhi govt’s own departments: ‘Fraudulent, without authority’

Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal had kickstarted registration to give Rs 2,100 to non-tax paying women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojna and to provide free treatment to those over the age of 60 under the Sanjeevani Yojna.

AAP Delhi govt noticeAAP chief Arvind Kejriwal with Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and senior party leader Manish Sisodia during the launch of the registration of the Sanjeevani Yojna. (Express Photo)

In an unprecedented move, senior officers in the Delhi government released public notices and disowned the registration process started by Chief Minister Atishi and her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, for two schemes announced by the ruling AAP in the national capital.

The move once again underlines the tenuous relationship between the bureaucracy and the elected Delhi government. After an amendment to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, the services department comes under the control of the Lieutenant Governor.

The notices prompted a sharp reaction from Atishi and Kejriwal, who said the BJP was behind the development and warned of action against the two officers.

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On Monday, the two had kickstarted registration to give Rs 2,100 under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojna to non-tax-paying women and to provide free treatment to those over the age of 60 in government and private hospitals under the Sanjeevani Yojna.

AAP Delhi Notice The notices issued by the Delhi government.

The announcement, which comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Delhi, prompted a slugfest between AAP and BJP leaders, with the latter accusing the party of duping people since the two schemes have not been approved yet.

One of the public notices, issued in newspapers by a joint director in the Department of Women and Child Development, refers to the promised Rs 2,100. It states, “A political party is claiming to disburse Rs 2,100 per month under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojna… no such scheme has been notified in Delhi… If and when such a scheme is notified, the Department of Women and Child Development will launch a digital portal for eligible individuals to submit applications… Any private individual/political party collecting such physical forms/applications or collecting information for applicants… is fraudulent and without authority.”

“The general public is hereby advised and requested not to entertain such promises of a non-existent scheme, as these are misleading and without any authority,” it says.

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The second public notice, by the special secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, also calls the promises fraudulent, adding that people have started visiting government hospitals and offices to enquire about the scheme.

Earlier this month, clearance was given to the Delhi government’s scheme to give Rs 1,000 to non-tax-paying women, but the official registration portal is yet to be made functional. The registration process is expected to be carried out online. At the same time, Kejriwal announced that if AAP is brought back to power, the amount would increase to Rs 2,100. The announcement to give Rs 1,000 to women was made in the budget and was approved by the council of ministers after a delay.

The scheme to provide free healthcare to those over 60 years old, announced soon after, is not yet ready for implementation and has not been passed by the cabinet so far.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Atishi said strict administrative action would be taken against the two officers who released the public notices.

“The notices issued today in newspapers are completely false. The BJP has put pressure on these officers and issued false public notices because they are shocked by the public’s response. Strict administrative action will be taken against these officers,” she said.

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Flagging a copy of the notification of the Cabinet approval to Mahila Samman Yojana, Atishi said, “This is the notification issued by the Cabinet after it passed the Rs 1,000 allowance to women under Mahila Samman Yojana… The notification clearly says Rs 1,000. Strict action and a Delhi Police inquiry will be taken against these officers for issuing such a false public notice.”

Kejriwal, who was also present at the press conference, said, “We know how the BJP conspired to obstruct the work in Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, bureaucrats, and various schemes. However, we did not allow them to impede our efforts. As a result, they devised a plan and had all of us arrested. The BJP has nothing to showcase for their time in Delhi. Over the past ten years, they have had seven MPs but have failed to demonstrate any accomplishments. They lack a chief ministerial candidate and a clear agenda.”

He alleged that investigative agencies such as the CBI and ED will conduct raids against all senior AAP leaders, including Atishi, to distract them from campaigning for the upcoming elections.

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