President Droupadi Murmu will formally launch four public welfare schemes of the Delhi government today at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
The programme is being organised to mark the completion of one year of the Delhi government and is being presented under the theme “Sashakt Nari, Samriddh Delhi.”
Under a new initiative, women residents of Delhi will be issued ‘Pink Smart Cards’ to avail free bus travel on public transport. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that the card will provide free travel on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses. The card will also be integrated with the existing Automatic Fare Collection system of the Metro, Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), and other public transport services, enabling women to access multiple transport options through a single card.
The government will distribute the cards at approximately 50 designated centres, including District Magistrate (DM) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) offices, as well as selected DTC depots. The cards will be issued free of cost, and the entire expenditure will be borne by the Delhi government.
The existing assistance scheme for girls has been restructured and introduced as the ‘Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana.’ Under the previous arrangement, a lump sum amount was deposited at the birth of an eligible girl child, with additional financial assistance provided at various educational stages, including admission to Classes 1, 6, and 9, passing Class 10, and admission to Class 12.
Under the revised scheme, the government will deposit a total of Rs 56,000 in the name of the girl child in different phases. With accrued interest, the amount is expected to exceed Rs 1 lakh by the age of 21 years.
The government has also announced a scheme to provide two free LPG cylinders annually to ration card holder families, one on Holi and one on Diwali. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that the benefit will be provided through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. An amount equivalent to the prevailing market price of the cylinder will be directly credited to the Aadhaar-linked bank account of the head of the family.
According to government estimates, approximately 17.5 lakh ration card holder families are expected to benefit from the scheme.
The ‘Meri Poonji Mera Adhikar’ programme is being launched to distribute maturity amounts to eligible beneficiaries under the Delhi Ladli scheme, which was initiated in 2008 to promote the birth and education of the girl child. A total of Rs 100.25 crore will be digitally transferred to the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of 40,642 eligible beneficiaries.
