Speaking at the Chattrasal Stadium on the occasion of Republic Day celebrations of the Delhi government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke of the Capital’s model of progress and emphasised on the commitment of the Delhi government in education and health.
“I am not against smart cities. Smart cities should be created but before smart cities, there must be investment for the citizens and focus should be to create smart people. Imagine how much can a healthy and well-educated person contribute in the progress of the country,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
Saying that in the total budget of Rs 42,000 crore, the Delhi government had committed 25 per cent of the budget on education and there was constant improvement in the government schools. Citing the recent suicide of three college students in Tamil Nadu, Kejriwal said that every child, whether rich or poor, should have the privilege of education. He also slammed the management quota and said it resulted in propagation of favours and donations and for reforming education, it had to be done away with.
On health, the Chief Minister said that expensive healthcare facilities resulted in many people facing financial hardships where even small cases of treatment saw people mortgaging their assets. He said from February 1 each hospital under the Delhi government would provide free medicines, free tests, free X-ray facilities and if the doctors face any shortage of financial resources, they must report the same to the government. He even said money saved from the PWD construction of flyovers will be utilised in improving healthcare.
Kejriwal said even though his government was providing electricity and water at subsidised rates and increasing the compensation to Delhi-based farmers it was not causing a burden to the exchequer. He also added that it was the right intent which mattered. He even cited incidents like Rohith Vemula’s suicide and President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and said such precedents were killing the Constitution.