Rekha Gupta has taken oath as New Delhi chief minister and promised to deliver promises for the welfare of people. However, the road does not seem to be smooth.
As BJP takes over from AAP which has ruled the city for the past 10 years, to form a new government in the national capital, there are several challenges that lie ahead of Gupta.
Poll Promises
One of the major challenges that lie ahead of the newly elected chief minister are the big ticket promises that the party had made during the elections in its manifesto including Rs 2500 to every woman in the city.
The party had promised to provide this amount to every woman in Delhi from March 8 on International Women’s Day. During the election rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured of the promise and said “this is Modi’s guarantee”.
Along with this, the party has also promised to provide Rs 25000 to every pregnant woman in the city.
In order to fulfill these promises, the CM administration has to come up with a system to disburse this amount within a few weeks which will put pressure on the government.
Clean Yamuna
Another promise made by the BJP was cleaning of Yamuna which has become a pressing issue in the national capital in the dearth of clean drinking water.
The government has started the initial work on the cleaning of the river but there is so much more to do within the promised three years of governance.
According to the sources, the Yamuna cleaning is only possible when the industrial waste and water is treated. There is an urgent need to manage the waste and water coming from unauthorized colonies that goes directly into the river.
Air Pollution
Delhi chokes every year during the winter season due to heavy and thick smog that covers the entire city. The outgoing AAP government had been struggling with the issue due to stubble burning and vehicular emission.
The government has to shift its focus on the long term solution to improve the air quality of the city by promoting electric vehicles, and increasing green cover.
Maintaining Fiscal Stability
The welfare schemes including free water, electricity, healthcare, and improved education have been the secret of Arvind Kejriwal’s success in Delhi. The BJP, too, has promised similar welfare measures in its Sankalp Patra (manifesto).
While experts have time and again flagged the issue of budget in the Delhi government during the tenure of Arvind Kejriwal, Gupta’s administration must strike a delicate balance between fulfilling social welfare commitments and ensuring fiscal prudence to avoid straining the economy.
While the Delhi Budget analysis by experts for 2024-25 estimates a revenue surplus, it’s also 35 per cent lower than the revised estimate for 2023-24, and the fiscal deficit is targeted at Rs 6,565 crore.
Civic Issues
The government has heavily criticized the outgoing government for the poorly maintained roads and infrastructure of Delhi. It has time and again said that the AAP government has not done enough for the city and this was the reason it is in a poor condition.
Around 792 million gallons of sewage is being produced every day and only 667 million gallons can be treated by existing facilities, leading to untreated wastewater entering the Yamuna River. This would put more pressure on the government administration to increase the capacity of the sewage treatment.
