Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announces biggest shopping festival from Jan-Feb 2023
Premium- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a 30-day Delhi Shopping Festival which will be organised from January 28 to February 26 (in 2023)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a 30-day Delhi Shopping Festival which will be organised from January 28 to February 26 (in 2023). "This will be the biggest shopping festival in India. We are starting it now. I expect that in a few years, we will make it the biggest shopping festival in the world," Kejriwal said.
The Delhi chief minister said the shopping festival will boost the city's economy and help the local businessmen, traders and vendors.
"People will be invited from across the country as well as the world to experience Delhi and its culture. This will be an unparalleled shopping experience. Heavy discounts will be offered. Entire Delhi will be decorated. Exhibitions will also be organised," CM Kejriwal said.
The CM added that the ‘Delhi Shopping Festival’ will also create huge job opportunities and appealed citizens across the country to book tickets for the next year. “This will create thousands of jobs and will give a huge boost to the economy," he added.
Kejriwal said he is in talks with airlines for special packages for passengers who would like to visit Delhi Shopping Festival.
Delhi Shopping Festival: Here are top-5 things that will be included:
- Opening & Closing Ceremony
- Heavy discounts on all items
- Exhibitions of Games/Tech
- 200 Concerts in 30 days
- Special Food Walks
Separately, citing a CAG report which said the Delhi government was running in profit, Kejriwal said the numbers were the "biggest proof of its honesty".
According to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for the year 2021, the Delhi government's debt increased by nearly 7% in the four years up to 2019-20 although it maintained a revenue surplus.
The revenue surplus of the Delhi government in 2019-20 was ₹7,499 crore indicating that revenue receipts of the government were sufficient to meet the revenue expenditure, said the report.
The Delhi government has been able to maintain revenue surplus largely on account of pension liabilities of its employees being borne by the central government, it pointed out.
Expenditure of government on subsidies increased from ₹1,867.61 crore in 2015-16 to ₹3,592.94 crore in 2019-20 (92.38 %). In 2019-20 expenditure on subsidies increased by 41.85 % over the previous year, the report said.
Financial assistance to local bodies and others increased by 7.59 % from ₹15,087.22 crore in 2018-19 to ₹16,232.97 crore in 2019-20.
The increase in investment in 2019-20 over the previous year was ₹150 crore on account of investment made in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
The Delhi government is not empowered to raise loans from the open market. Loans and advances received from the Government of India comprise its debt receipts