New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS) Dishing out data on the AAP government’s good financial performance, outgoing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Friday sought to plug any chance for the next BJP government offering an excuse of lack of funds for not implementing schemes like Rs 2,500 monthly financial assistance to women.
Addressing the media here, Acting Chief Minister Atishi took pains to justify the AAP government’s freebies or free social welfare schemes, dispelling doubts that the Arvind Kejriwal brand of welfare politics did not mean ‘bad economics’.
The Acting Chief Minister said she was sharing the data about the AAP government’s good economic performance so that BJP leaders do not blame the outgoing government for the alleged poor state of finances and delay the implementation of the BJP’s poll promises.
“I hope the new BJP government will not make financial excuses and fulfil all its promises made to women and others,” she said.
She said Delhi’s Budget outlay under Central rule in 2014-15 was Rs 31,000 crore and under the Congress government in 2009-10 the outlay was Rs 25,000 crore, she said.
After the 10-year rule under the AAP government, in 2024-25 the city’s Budget outlay was Rs 77,000 crore, marking a rise of 2.5 times, she said.
Talking about the debt that the AAP government acquired in legacy from the previous Congress government, she said the debt to GDP ratio in 2014 was 6.6 per cent and it came down in 2023 to 3.9 per cent and in 2024 the figure stood at 3 per cent.
“Under Arvind Kejriwal, the city’s debt to GDP ratio was halved from 6.6 per cent to 3 per cent,” she said, highlighting how well the AAP government managed the finances.
Acting CM Atishi also tried to showcase the poor performance of BJP governments in other states by sharing debt to GDP ratio in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
“In BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, the debt to GDP ratio is 32.5 per cent and in Madhya Pradesh, the debt to GDP ratio is 33 per cent,” she said.
She also highlighted a CAG report in 2022 which complemented the AAP-led Delhi government for being the only revenue-surplus state in the country since 2015.
–IANS
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