Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday announced that her government will launch the “Delhi Annshri Yojana” on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The programme would benefit more than two lakh families.
Ms. Dikshit made the announcement at a function organised to lay the foundation stone of a community centre in Kishangarh here.
Under the programme, Rs.600 in cash would be transferred to the eldest female members of more than two lakh families which are not presently covered under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Antyodaya programmes. “With the launch of Annshri, more than 6 lakh families would come under the ambit of the food subsidy in the Capital and it would go a long way in making Delhi a hunger-free State,” said Ms. Dikshit.
She further added that the Government was mulling to offer an option to the four lakh BPL and Antyodaya families to continue to avail of subsidised ration under the Public Distribution System or opt for Rs.1,000 cash assistance per month.
Saying that her Government was keen on extending modern facilities to the rural areas, Ms. Dikshit said the proposed community centre in Kishangarh would be constructed at a cost of over Rs.8 crore and spread over 3,000 sq metre. “It would be a multi-storey building with three banquet halls, three kitchens, two guest rooms, a gymnasium and an underground parking. Once it is ready, the locals would not have to spend hefty sums of money on hotels and banquet halls for marriages and other functions,” said Ms. Dikshit.
