New Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced a Rs 700-crore budget dedicated to the upliftment of slum clusters across the city, asserting that every slum household will be provided a permanent home as part of the government’s renewed welfare focus.
Speaking at the Jhuggi–Jhopdi Swabhiman Sabha in Wazirpur Industrial Area, the Chief Minister said her administration is committed to improving living conditions in slum settlements through new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Atal Canteens, Basti Vikas Kendras, and upgraded roads and drainage systems. “Our government is committed to the welfare of poor families living in slum clusters,” she said, adding that the developmental push is inspired by the “poor-welfare model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Gupta accused past governments of ignoring slum residents and using them merely as a political tool. “Their approach was to keep the poor poor and keep them frightened,” she said, alleging that previous administrations failed to deliver basic amenities despite spending crores on building 50,000 flats that were never allotted and subsequently fell into disrepair.
Highlighting the shift in governance philosophy, the Chief Minister said Prime Minister Modi “understood the hardships of the poor as his own,” which led to nationwide welfare schemes such as toilets under Swachh Bharat, the Ujjwala gas connection programme, permanent housing initiatives, and free ration distribution. She reiterated that “every slum resident in Delhi now has the right to a permanent home,” promising that such rights would not be ignored or delayed. Gupta also announced the revival of long-stalled welfare processes. She said that issuing new ration cards, pending for nearly 15 years, will resume soon. “Cards of ineligible beneficiaries will be cancelled and new ones will be issued to genuine needy families,” she said. Pension schemes that had been halted are also being restarted, she added, emphasising that these measures were resumed only after her government took office.