New Delhi: After a long suspense of 11 days, BJP announced Delhi’s new chief minister, Rekha Gupta, who will take oath on Thursday. Preparations for the oath-taking ceremony are in full swing at the Ramlila Maidan. Sources said that the chief minister and her entire Cabinet will take oath at the grand ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and other dignitaries.
A massive crowd is anticipated at the event, with around 40 celebrities invited, according to news agency PTI. The oath ceremony will start from 11 am to 12.34 pm, sources said.
As the new CM Rekha Gupta and the Cabinet gets ready to start their work, let’s see the major challenges that Delhi’s new government faces.
1. Rs 2,500 monthly aid to poor women: One of the major promises of BJP during its election campaign was to offer Rs 2,500 monthly monetary aid to women from poor families. The party had assured the eligible beneficiaries will be provided the aid starting March 8, which is also International Women’s Day. During his poll rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, “This is Modi’s guarantee… On March 8, women will start receiving money in their accounts.”
BJP sources had reportedly said that once the government is formed, the work on the financial assistance scheme for women will start. It will be the top priority in the first Cabinet meeting of the BJP government, they had said.
Foremost, an efficient distribution system for this scheme will be needed. And putting it into place and making it effective in such a short span of time will be real challenge. The budgetary allocation for the scheme has to be chalked out.
2. Yamuna clean-up, drinking water and power supply issues: The national capital continues to reel under water crunch and erratic water supply. The problem becomes more challenging due to the growing toxicity in Yamuna river. The BJP had vowed to provide clean drinking water and regular power supply ahead of the assembly elections. It is imperative that providing clean drinking water and ensuring uninterrupted electricity becomes the priority of the new government.
Yamuna cleaning has been started by the BJP as soon as it won the elections. A sustained effort will be required so that the campaign does not fizzle out.
3. Law and order situation: Crimes have seen a upswing in Delhi, of late. And crimes against women are also growing. The BJP government in Delhi has the tough task of checking this spike in crime across the city. Enhancing law enforcement and enhancing coordination with the Delhi Police will throw up a huge challenge for the government.
4. Welfare schemes: Welfare schemes were announced by the BJP before it came into power in Delhi. These scheme were highlighted in its poll manifesto. The new government has a huge task at hand of meeting these promises while ensuring that there’s no fiscal instability. The challenge would be to strike a balance between social welfare and financial wisdom.
5. Air pollution problem: Political slugfest had raged over the air of Delhi, which is turning more and more toxic every passing year, ahead of the elections. As the health hazard from toxic air grows, the new BJP government will have to tackle the problem of vehicular pollution, industrial effluents and stubble burning. Sustainability has to be the cornerstone of any development that takes place in Delhi. The government has to ensure that there are more green lungs, e-vehicles are given a boost and solid waste management is made scientific.
