Delhi Budget increased by 2.5 times in seven years: Kejriwal

“In 2015, when we presented the first Budget, it was Rs 31,000 crore. Now it’s Rs 78,000 crore. There has been a 2.5-fold increase in seven years. This is no less than a miracle,” he said.

Thanking Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia – who also holds the finance portfolio – for the Budget, he added, “We aim to create 20 lakh new jobs in the next five years. Just saying it takes courage. This was not an electoral promise, this was the Budget. And we have presented the framework to create jobs. This is an innovative and bold Budget.” The government will focus on eight sectors for job creation – retail, food and beverages, logistics, supply, travel and tourism, entertainment, real estate and green energy.

Addressing the issue of unification of the three municipal corporations in Delhi, Kejriwal said, “The MCD Bill has been brought to stop the elections. There are two main things in the Bill. One, the number of wards has been reduced from 272 to 250. What is the benefit? There is no logic. There is only one reason, there will be delimitation. Had the number been same, there would be no delimitation. If that happens, the elections will be pushed for 1-2 years. Second, the entire MCD will be run by the Centre, this is against the Constitution. Once the Bill comes, we will study it. If need be, we will challenge it in court.”

Kejriwal briefly outlined the government’s plan to redevelop five traditional markets, create a bazaar portal which will open up global markets to Delhi traders, setting up a garment hub in Gandhinagar, developing traditional food hubs and food trucks that will operate till 2 am, and redevelopment of non-conforming industrial areas.

The chief minister said the Budget not only takes into account job creation, but also takes care of increasing costs by providing free education, free health, free electricity, free water, and free travel for women. He also spoke about creating roads, sewer systems and water pipelines in unauthorised colonies as well as cleaning up the Yamuna.

When asked about his statement on the controversy surrounding the film The Kashmir Files, he said during the press conference, “In the last 20-25 years since the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, the BJP has been at the Centre for 13 years. In the last eight years, the BJP has been at the Centre. Has even one family been rehabilitated in Kashmir? No one. What the BJP has done is politicise the issue,” he said.

“And now after that, they want to earn crores by making a movie on their pain. Over Rs 200 crore has been earned. It is criminal to make money with a picture on the pain of any community. This is not right. The country will not tolerate it. We only have two demands: put this movie on YouTube so everyone can watch it; second, whatever has been earned should be used for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. And third, concrete steps should be taken so that Kashmiri Pandits can go back to their homes,” he asserted.