Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena in his address to the Delhi Assembly on Thursday on the first day of the Budget Session said that the Delhi government was “working with dedication and sincerity to match the immense faith placed in it by the people to transform Delhi into a world-class city”.
The L-G, who also highlighted several achievements of the government across socio-economic sectors while sticking to the script, was interrupted multiple times by BJP MLAs, leading the Speaker, Ram Niwas Goel, to ask marshals to escort seven of the eight BJP MLAs out of the House, leaving only the Leader of the Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri as the remaining Opposition member in the House.
“The economy of Delhi witnessed real Gross State Domestic Product expansion of 9.18% in 2022-23 as compared to a growth of 7.2% in the national Gross Domestic Product. Delhi’s per capita income has also been 2.6 times higher when compared to the national average, with a consistently surplus revenue,” Mr. Saxena said.
He added that five lakh citizens in the same time period had availed free medical treatment, including surgery and diagnostic services, through identified private hospitals under the ‘Delhi Arogya Kosh’ scheme, and that proposals for five new hospitals across the Capital were in the process of being approved.
Mr. Saxena lauded the Delhi government in the field of education as well, saying that 15 new government schools had been opened in the 2023-24 academic session, and that the government was “focusing on entrepreneurship development” to equip students with skills required for starting a business.
He added that the government had made efforts to curb pollution, and underlined that the city’s annual average PM10 levels had dropped consistently, dipping from 324 PPM in 2014 to 219 ppm in 2023. PM2.5 levels too, he said, had come down from 149 PPM in 2014 to 106 PPM in 2023. The L-G also highlighted the government’s new solar policy aimed at reducing electricity rates and pollution control, coupled with employment generation.
“I am confident that with the support and collaboration of the members of this esteemed House, we will overcome upcoming challenges and propel Delhi towards becoming a modern, progressive, and globally recognised city,” Mr. Saxena said.
Mr. Bidhuri, in a press conference after the House proceedings, termed the claims of achievements of the Aam Aadmi Party government in the L-G’s address a “white lie”. “The address given by the Arvind Kejriwal government to the L-G to read out is nothing but a bundle of lies. The government has failed on every front,” he said.