Chandigarh: Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader George Sagar on Wednesday welcomed the launch of the Punjab government’s financial assistance scheme for women, describing it as the fulfilment of a major election promise made by the party.
Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, Sagar said the AAP government had honoured its commitment to the people of Punjab. He said the promise made by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during the 2022 Assembly elections had now been implemented.
He said eligible women from the general category would receive ₹1,000 per month, while women belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category would receive ₹1,500 per month. He added that beneficiaries had received the first instalment covering three months in a single payment.
Sagar thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab AAP in-charge Manish Sisodia for implementing the scheme. He claimed it was the first time a Punjab government had introduced such direct monthly financial assistance for women.
Highlighting other initiatives of the state government, Sagar said the Mann-led government had also increased the monthly honorarium of village sarpanches from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000, calling it a historic decision.
He further listed several welfare measures introduced by the government, including 300 units of free electricity, free bus travel for women, health insurance of up to ₹10 lakh under the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme, Schools of Eminence, the Chief Minister Teerth Yatra Scheme for senior citizens and subsidised food initiatives.
Sagar alleged that opposition parties were worried about the growing popularity of the AAP government due to its welfare programmes. He claimed that the government’s continuous focus on public welfare had strengthened public support ahead of the next Punjab Assembly elections.
