Now Reading: Punjab AAP’s women cash scheme sparks pre-election row
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Punjab AAP’s women cash scheme sparks pre-election row
The Punjab government started its Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna on July 1, giving Rs 1,000 a month to general-category women above 18 and Rs 1,500 to Scheduled Caste women. The…
The Story in Brief
The Punjab government started its Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna on July 1, giving Rs 1,000 a month to general-category women above 18 and Rs 1,500 to Scheduled Caste women. The scheme was a key AAP promise during the 2022 assembly election. With polls due in early 2027, the Aam Aadmi Party says it is fulfilling commitments despite inheriting a debt-ridden state. Congress MP Randeep Surjewala called the rollout an “election trick,” accusing AAP of waiting nearly five years and then launching the payout months before voters go to the polls. He questioned the annual cost of Rs 21,472 crore and whether the state can sustain it. Punjab has also introduced free healthcare up to Rs 10 lakh per family and free quarterly kitchen kits for poor households.
The Indian Opinion
Both sides have a point, but only partly. AAP says the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Yojana fulfils a 2022 promise, yet the four-year delay is hard to defend as anything but tactical. Congress cries election trick, but free healthcare, power and bus travel were rolled out earlier, not just now. The real test is fiscal honesty: Punjab claims it needs Rs 21,472 crore annually for this scheme. Will the coming budget show a clear revenue source, or will beneficiaries see payments stop after votes are counted?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
