New Delhi: The Delhi government’s Rs 1 lakh crore budget has been presented as a landmark push for women’s empowerment, with notable increases in financial aid and safety initiatives. However, behind the high figures, significant welfare schemes, including education support, maternal healthcare, and nutrition programs, have faced deep cuts, leaving many questioning the actual impact of the allocations.
The Mahila Samriddhi Scheme, which provides financial assistance to low-income women, has received a significant boost, rising from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 5,110 crore. Women from households earning below Rs 3 lakh annually will receive Rs 2,500 per month, benefiting an estimated 15-20 lakh women. Similarly, the subsidy for women commuters on public transport has risen from Rs 340 crore to Rs 440 crore. Funds for the Women Helpline have increased by 40.5 per cent, reaching Rs 10.4 crore, while One Stop Centres under the Nirbhaya Fund have seen a fourfold jump to Rs 20 crore.
Yet, while these increases suggest a stronger commitment to women’s empowerment, the budget tells a different story when it comes to education and welfare for young girls. Funding for girl students has been slashed drastically, with the gender budget under general education seeing a 92.28 per cent reduction from Rs 29.3 crore to just Rs 2.26 crore. Schemes like free transport for rural girls, menstrual hygiene programs under the Kishori Yojana, and self-defense training under the Rani Laxmi Bai Atma Raksha Parikshan have suffered major setbacks. The free transport scheme now has just Rs 1 lakh allocated, down from Rs 4 crore last year, and menstrual hygiene support has seen a near-total collapse, dropping from Rs 23 crore to Rs 25.3 lakh.
The nutrition budget has also take a severe hit, with allocations plummeting by 68.31 per cent, from Rs 300.5 crore to Rs 95.2 crore. Programs such as Saksham Anganwadi, POSHAN 2.0, and PM-Poshan have seen drastic cuts. PM-Poshan, which received Rs 182 crore last year, now has a mere Rs 10.22 crore, severely impacting the delivery of nutrition support to children. Honorariums for Anganwadi workers and helpers, crucial to implementing these schemes, have been cut from Rs 221 crore to Rs 206 crore, raising concerns about staffing shortages and service quality. The budget for Shri Dada Dev Matri Avum Shishu Chikitsalaya, a key maternal healthcare facility, has also been slashed from Rs 1 crore to just Rs 10 lakh, putting critical services at risk.
Amidst these cuts, the budget does introduce new schemes, such as the Mukhyamantri Matru Vandana Yojana, which promises Rs 21,000 to pregnant women for maternal health support, and the Mukhya Mantri Digital Education Scheme, which allocates Rs 7.5 crore for laptops to meritorious girl students. However, many key BJP manifesto promises remain missing, including festival-based free LPG cylinders, increased pensions for senior citizens and widows, a financial roadmap for full statehood, and major employment generation schemes.
While the government touts its budget as a game-changer for women’s empowerment, the cuts in welfare programs paint a complex picture.
As the state gears up for elections, the missing allocations raise questions about the fulfillment of promises made to the people of Delhi.