Wed Dec 25 07:20:05 UTC 2024: ## Delhi Health, Women’s Departments Disown AAP’s Election Schemes, Sparking Political Row

**New Delhi:** A major political controversy has erupted in Delhi as the city’s Health and Women and Child Development departments have publicly denounced two flagship schemes launched by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The departments claim the “Sanjeevani Yojana,” promising free treatment for senior citizens, and the “Mahila Samman Yojana,” offering monthly stipends to women, do not exist.

Both departments issued public notices stating they had not authorized any registration drives and warned citizens against providing personal information to individuals or groups claiming to represent these schemes. They emphasized that any such registration is fraudulent. The notices advise citizens to ignore offers of free treatment under the “Sanjeevani Yojana” and to refuse to provide personal details or sign any documents related to either scheme.

The AAP, however, maintains that the schemes are genuine and claims to have already registered 1.5 lakh people for Sanjeevani Yojana and 13 lakh women for Mahila Samman Yojana through a 3,000-strong team of workers conducting door-to-door registrations. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP-led central government of orchestrating a political attack, alleging that the AAP’s initiative has rattled the ruling party and predicting arrests of senior AAP leaders.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva countered, accusing the AAP of engaging in “digital fraudster” tactics by promoting unapproved schemes. He criticized the AAP for launching schemes without proper notification and characterized the departments’ public warnings as a necessary measure to protect citizens from being misled.

This clash highlights the ongoing power struggle between the Delhi government and the central government. The departments’ actions underscore the limited control the AAP government has over Delhi’s bureaucracy, a long-standing point of contention. While the Supreme Court last year granted the Delhi government more control over services, a central government ordinance and subsequent Act have significantly curtailed this power, effectively giving the central government appointees considerable influence over administrative decisions. This latest development further intensifies the political tension ahead of the upcoming elections.

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