Free education and world-class health care facilities for all citizens are necessary to make India a superpower, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said here on Independence Day. The Delhi CM invoked education as many as 50 times and healthcare around 30 times during his 40-minute-long speech at the Chhatrasal Stadium.
Reasserting his objection to terming free-of-cost welfare schemes as “freebies”, Mr. Kejriwal advocated free healthcare for all Indian citizens.
Free healthcare for all
“We have made healthcare completely free in Delhi and spend ₹2,000 per capita each year in Delhi to provide free healthcare. If we set out to offer free-of-cost healthcare to all 130 crore Indians then we’ll incur a cost of barely ₹2.5 lakh crore,” he said.
The Delhi CM also said that a robust pan-India network of schools, hospitals and mohalla clinics could be established if everyone comes together for the cause. He also stressed the need for State-sponsored quality education for children.
“Education is not a freebie. Parents sacrifice all they have for their child’s education; they don’t think of it as a freebie. If there’s any dearth of funds, all of us can sacrifice one meal a day but we shouldn’t stop the goal of education for all at any cost,” he also said.
Also Read | Kejriwal for referendum on free facilities to public
As many as 39 nations including the US, Australia, England, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Germany and France, the Chief Minister said, offered free education for all children.
Fixing education system
The Chief Minister said India had an abundance of government schools and teachers but lacked a proper education system. Mr. Kejriwal said that the education system in Delhi had been “fixed” and urged everyone to unite to fix the education system across the country.
“I want to ask whether a poor man’s child can even think of becoming a doctor or an engineer when poverty forces him to go to a government school in this country? In Delhi, be it rich or poor, children enter government schools with pride and think of becoming doctors, engineers, lawyers and professionals. This has been made possible by Delhi’s education revolution,” he said.
The Chief Minister hoisted the Tricolour at the function. He also presented President's medals for meritorious service to Delhi prisons staff and fire service personnel. Mr. Kejriwal also felicitated several officers of the police, fire and jail departments on Monday.
Also Read | The Delhi model of education
Responding to the Independence Day speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he talked about making India a developed country, Mr. Sisodia said the country could not develop if free and good education and healthcare were looked at as freebies
Mr. Sisodia also urged the Prime Minister to work more closely with the Delhi CM and “implement the blueprint Mr. Kejriwal has kept before the people on how education and healthcare can be improved in five years.”
The Delhi government said that under the Har Hath Tiranga campaign, it had distributed 25 lakh Tricolours all over the city.
'Surpised with CM'
Reacting to the statements made by Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “It is surprising to hear the Delhi CM and his deputy claiming credit for providing free education and health services. They should know that this has been the case ever since Independence.”
The Delhi BJP spokesperson said Arvind Kejriwal's self-proclaimed ‘Delhi model’ is not a blueprint for development but “dirty vote bank politics”.
