Budget session: 15 new schools, 1 lakh CCTVs: L-G praises AAP govt’s achievements

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 15

Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena in his address to the Assembly on Thursday highlighted the AAP government’s achievements, including installation of more than one lakh CCTV cameras, five lakh citizens availing free treatment under the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme and the addition of 1,650 electric buses to the fleet.

He stated, “The government is working with dedication and sincerity to match the immense faith placed in it by the people and to elevate Delhi to the status of a world-class city. The recent performance indicators of key sectors of the economy have been quite satisfactory. Delhi possesses strong economic fundamentals, evidenced by a robust real Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth of 9.18 per cent in 2022-23, outpacing the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 7.2 per cent. Additionally, the per capita income of Delhi is approximately 2.6 times higher than the national average, and the revenue consistently maintains a surplus.”

The L-G stated that out of the budget of Rs 78,800 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24, an allocation of Rs 43,700 crore had been earmarked for the implementation of various developmental schemes, programmes and capital projects.

Additionally, the L-G commended the government’s education policy, highlighting that the allocation of 21 per cent of the budget for the sector in the current financial year is the highest among all states and union territories in India.

Saxena said, “Due to focused attention on improving the quality of education, there has been an incredible rise in pass percentages in government schools. The pass percentage for the academic session 2022-2023 for Class X and XII was 99.68 and 98.96, respectively. Additionally, 15 new government schools have been opened in the 2023-24 academic session, and the science stream has been introduced in 19 schools.”

He continued, “The government has also promoted sports, academic research and various aspects of sports and allied disciplines like health and exercise sciences. I feel proud to inform this august house that 11 players from Delhi won 11 medals in the 2023 Asian Games held at Hangzhou, China. In the National School Games, 2023-24, Delhi stood first in the medal tally with 127 medals.”

“Along with this, health remained the primary focus of the government, as a network of 537 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, five Mahila Mohalla Clinics, 172 allopathic dispensaries, 60 primary urban health centres, 30 polyclinics, and 38 multi-specialty/super specialty hospitals are operational,” he continued.

Saxena added, “Proposals for the establishment of five new hospitals at Bindapur, Baprola, Deendarpur, Keshavpuram, and Sangam Vihar are also underway. Under ‘Delhi Arogya Kosh’, the government provides free treatment, surgery and diagnostic services through identified private hospitals to patients who cannot be provided treatment at Delhi government hospitals due to any reasons.”

He further said to enhance the skills of both trainees and trainers in alignment with modern technologies and industry requirements, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with leading industries such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, NBCC, Siemens, among others.

He continued, “As part of the improvement of city infrastructure, various projects, including underpasses, flyovers and subways, have been successfully completed.” Notable constructions include the underpass at Ashram Chowk, a tunnel from Purana Qila Road to Ring Road, along with six underpasses on Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and Ring Road. Additionally, the construction of a bridge over Najafgarh drain at Basaidarapur has been finalised. The ongoing projects include the completion of Barapullah Phase-III elevated road from Sarai Kale Khan to Mayur Vihar and the extension of the ashram flyover to the DND flyover.

To enhance the security landscape, 1,35,500 CCTV cameras have been installed in Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Market Associations (MAs) throughout Delhi. In terms of water infrastructure, the installed capacity of drinking water has been augmented by 13 per cent over the last decade. The capacity of the Delhi Jal Board increased from 836 MGD in 2013 to 995 MGD in 2023. Moreover, approximately 93 per cent of households in Delhi now have access to piped water supply.

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