- By Nidhi Giri
- Mon, 30 Dec 2024 01:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’ for priests and ‘granthis’ of temples and Gurudwara, respectively. Under the scheme a monthly allowance of Rs 18,000 will be provided if Kejriwal's AAP wins the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The new ‘Yojana’ was announced as a scheme row struck AAP in Delhi ahead of the 2025 elections over ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’, an initiative vowing to give a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100 to eligible women. The new announcement comes as Delhi goes to Assembly polls in nearly two months.
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What Is ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’?
Addressing a press conference, the former Delhi CM said that the AAP government will give an honorarium to temples’ priests and Gurudwara’s granthis.
“The name of the scheme is Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana. Under this, there is a provision to give an honorarium to the priests of temples and the ‘granthis’ of the Gurudwara. They will be given an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month," he said.
“This is happening for the first time in the country. The priest is a class that has carried forward the rituals from generation to generation. They never paid attention to their family and we never paid attention to them," the AAP chief added.
‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ Row
Last week, Delhi LG VK Saxena ordered a probe into the allegations over AAP’s schemes, based on complaints by Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. The allegations included fraudulent collection of personal data under the pretext of AAP’s Mahila Samman Yojana, the presence of Punjab intelligence officers near the homes of Congress candidates, and allegations of cash transfers from Punjab to Delhi aimed at influencing the elections.
The Congress leader also raised concerns about the Mahila Samman Yojana.