New Delhi: As the Delhi Assembly elections approach, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made another important populist announcement similar to the Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana.
At a press conference here on Monday, Kejriwal has now announced the "Pujari-Granthi Samaj Samman Yojana" especially for the priests of Delhi's temples and granthis in gurudwaras, who will be given an honorarium of Rs 18,000 every month under this scheme.
Giving details about the scheme, Arvind Kejriwal said that this is the first time that any government has announced such a scheme for priests and granthis. He said, priests and granthis always stand with us in our happiness and sorrow. "They carry forward our traditions and rituals from generation to generation. But we never paid attention to their economic condition. The objective of this scheme is to honor their contribution," he said.
Registration process: Registration for this scheme will start from Tuesday. Arvind Kejriwal has announced that he will go to Hanuman temple in Connaught Place and get the priests registered. After this, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, candidates and workers will take forward the registration process in all temples and gurudwaras.
Political controversy: Arvind Kejriwal targeted BJP and Congress and said, "Till date no government has made such a scheme to honor priests and granthis. I request BJP and Congress not to try to stop this scheme. If they do this, it will lead to sin and God will also be angry." He also clarified that the number of beneficiaries of the scheme will be known only after the registration process is completed and the government has sufficient funds available to implement this scheme.
Calling this scheme historic, Kejriwal said, "For the first time in Delhi, we improved schools, hospitals, made bus travel free for women. Similarly, this is the first time that priests and granthis will be given honorarium." He hoped that other state governments will also take inspiration from this scheme and implement such schemes in their states. It is worth mentioning that on Monday itself, the Imams of Delhi had protested regarding their salaries. They also said that they would sit on dharna if they did not get their salaries.
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