Delhi Elections: Arvind Kejriwal's Big Announcement, Women to Receive ₹1,000 Monthly, Doubled After Elections

As part of the preparation for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has announced the "Mahila Samman Yojana" to help women in Delhi. According to Delhi Cabinet, it promises to transfer ₹1,000 monthly into the bank accounts of eligible women after registration on December 13, 2024. Kejriwal also announced that the amount would increase to ₹2,100 after the elections.

Eligibility for the Scheme

The requirements to be eligible for availing of the scheme are as follows:

Must be a registered voter in Delhi.
Annual income not exceeding ₹2.5 lakh.
Age between 18 and 60 years.
Women with a four-wheeler cannot avail of the scheme.

Impact and Funding

The benefitting women are estimated to be around 38 lakh, and the additional cost the Delhi government is expected to incur is ₹4,000 crore. Kejriwal confidently brushed aside the questions related to funding, saying he would manage the resources in Delhi in the best way possible.

Political Significance

The scheme mirrors the same strategies adopted by ruling parties in states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand to win women's votes. AAP hopes to increase its appeal among women voters with this move before the elections, banking on the popularity of welfare measures.