Did more in 8 years than other govts did in 65: CM
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asserted that the Delhi model has provided a glimmer of hope for the country, and has showed that an “honest and educated” government can deliver for the people, as he laid down targets to transform the Capital into a “saaf, sunder aur adhunik” (clean, beautiful and modern) city within two years.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back, saying every year, the Delhi government fails to keep the promises it makes in the Budget.
Concluding the discussion on the Delhi Budget 2023-24 in the assembly, Kejriwal said his Aam Aadmi Party-led government has in its eight-year tenure delivered on a wide range of parameters, claiming that this is equivalent of the work undertaken by previous governments over a period of 65 years.
Kejriwal said, “We are the most honest government in the country. The quantum of development works taken up during the 65 years after Independence, we have completed double that over the last eight years (of our tenure)... The amount of progress done by Delhi over the last eight years is double the work done over the last 65 years...”
During his 30-minute speech, the chief minister listed a series of achievements of the AAP tenure. “Everyone knows about education and health but our government has done equally well on other counts,” he said.
“Our Budget is in the positive despite our providing free education, water, electricity, pilgrimage and ration. In their (Bjp-run states) case, nothing is free for public but governments are running in losses of several lakh crores,” Kejriwal added.
He said that his government’s Delhi model “shines” because of the lack of corruption and the subsidies it provides, adding that this brings relief from inflation.
Kejriwal said the Budget will enable the government to execute the same quantum of work over the next two years.
“We are investing ₹21,000 crore on infrastructure, street beautification, clean up and
maintenance. In one year, people will not be able to find a single pothole on the streets, and dust pollution will go down by 30%,” he said.
Kejriwal said the city’s three landfill sites at Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur will be cleared by December 2024. “When BJP ruled the MCD, it was estimated that it would take 197 years to clear up these ‘mountains’. I commit to you that we will do it by December next year. In their time, Delhi came at the bottom of the sanitation index, but I assure you we will beat Indore to become the cleanest city in the country. We will also revamp MCD schools and hospitals,” he said.
He also took a quip at the BJP. “We’ve done a lot of work for education of children. I request education minister Atishi to work on the education of adults.”
Leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri hit back at Kejriwal, saying, “Every year, promises are made and then they are forgotten. No implementation is done on the promises made in the Budget. They had promised to provide employment to 20 lakh people in five years, but even four people did not get a job. A provision of ₹250 crore was made for setting up a shopping festival in Delhi, but the whereabouts of the festival is not known…”