Latest news with #Delhiites'
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: A bump-free road to good governance
Delhi has always been the beating heart of India. A political Capital as well as a cultural hotspot, Delhi is not merely a city but a vibrant mini-India with people and traditions from all parts of the country thriving together. From monuments to food and temples to architecture, Delhi carries energy, growth and culture at every juncture. No matter the rainfall, the Capital city shall remain functional, vibrant and energetic in a true Delhi style. (Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) However, it was our misfortune that in the last 10 years, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had disconnected our beloved city from the national growth mainstream. A city that was traditionally known for setting national benchmarks on infrastructure, transportation and civic amenities, among other fields, was in the news for stalled projects, governance failures and a constant blame-game. The entire city's governance had become a massive pothole of conflict, confusion and collision. A city meant to symbolise the fast-growing new India of the 21st century was left decades behind. But the spirit of Delhi prevailed in the end and our city chose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s double-engine government to end the Capital's woes. With a promise to reciprocate the Delhiites' trust with Delhi's all-round development, PM Modi guaranteed that he will 'short-circuit' the governance of 'shortcuts' and restore smart and comprehensive governance in the Capital. As a duty-bound karyakarta of PM Modi and the BJP, I am delighted to announce that Delhi's PWD ministry, this Tuesday, fulfilled a crucial 'Modi ki Guarantee' before the onset of monsoons in Delhi. As part of improving our city's road infrastructure to make it world-class in next five years, the PWD ministry has created a record of repairing the most potholes in a single day. This is both a moment to cherish and introspect for all of us, including my beloved Delhiites. While it is to our double-engine government's credit that such an exercise was executed, it is also a grim reminder of how under AAP's decade-long rule, thousands of potholes were allowed to exist in the first place. Thus, this PWD record is both a pat on the double engine government's back as well as a slap in AAP-da's face. On one hand, while the AAP government had used the same PWD ministry to build a 'sheesh mahal' for Arvind Kejriwal, our double-engine government utilised the PWD for solving Delhiites' fundamental grievances. With over 200 maintenance vans, equipped with the latest technology and over 1,000 engineers and labourers on the ground, the ministry was in the news for the right reasons. The timing of this exercise right before the monsoons holds immense significance. The rainy season tests our infrastructure and puts it under severe stress by aggravating existing challenges. As both a way to minimise such problems as well as showcase our abilities of problem-solving, it's an announcement of PWD's changed mindset, intent and ability. This achievement also poses a significant question in front of the people in the Capital and rest of the country. Why did our Capital's government machinery remain dysfunctional under the previous government while beginning to deliver under ours? The answer is: the BJP is a party with a difference. Our party's mantra of nation first, party second and self third is a guiding principle of all our governments, with Delhi being the latest example. Thus, 2025 is for Delhi what 2014 was for the entire country: a shifting of gears in governance with the same vehicle. I shall also mention that this achievement, among others in the making, is just a trailer of our work, as we prepare for all our Delhiites, a bump-free road to good governance. From world-class infrastructure to a clean River Yamuna, from providing healthcare under Ayushman Bharat to monthly assistance to Delhi's women, Delhi's BJP government is working relentlessly to fulfil PM Modi's guarantees to all Delhiites. In the immediate short term, Delhi shall witness mission monsoon in action with significantly reduced water-logging, well-functioning road infrastructure and desilted drains. No matter the rainfall, our city shall remain functional, vibrant and energetic in a true Delhi style. In the coming months, our people shall witness the initial results of our work on Yamuna cleaning and its riverfront development on a war footing. The previous government had pushed back our city by decades. Our government shall prepare the city for the decades to come. ----------------- (Parvesh Verma is Cabinet minister in Delhi government. The views expressed are personal.)
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Soon, a unified data hub will weed out those ineligible for Delhi's welfare schemes. Here's how
The Delhi government is planning to create a first-of-its-kind 'Unified Data Hub (UDH)', which will consolidate data from various departments, to ensure only eligible people avail of the benefits of its welfare schemes. Sources said these records could be used while rolling out the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, which promises Rs 2,500 to eligible women beneficiaries. The scheme is yet to be launched, and the eligibility criteria is being decided. Besides this, the government has already started the verification process of ration cards and of other welfare schemes like pension for widows. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in her maiden Budget speech, had said the BJP government will launch a 'verification campaign' so that benefits of welfare measures only reach 'genuine Delhiites' and non-residents — especially Rohingya and Bangladeshis — will not be able to avail of it. How will it work? The core objective of UDH is to create 'golden records' of beneficiaries — single, verified, and unified data profiles of citizens — by resolving data duplication and inconsistencies across existing departmental systems, said officials. 'This 'golden record' will track attributes like profession and services availed, and support social registries for outreach, registration, and eligibility determination for social programmes,' added the official. Explaining how the hub will function, officials said it will integrate all data. 'It will be a centralised data repository where data from all departments will be stored, collaborated, and updated in real time by a permissioned entity… It will generate a unique, accurate and de-duplicated record for every beneficiary using smart matching algorithms; enable precise identification of beneficiaries; and reduce instances of multiple claims and benefit leakage.' According to officials, this data hub is being developed by the Information Technology department, which aims to build an integrated digital infrastructure to enhance citizen-centric governance. The government will soon float a tender to develop the ' Delhi Unified Citizen Data Platform'. What are its features? Officials said it will provide a dashboard and reports for evidence-based policy formulation. It will ensure compliance with applicable data protection regulations, maintaining high standards of data security and confidentiality, added officials. A unique identification number will be created for each citizen, officials said, to maintain the master record and manage changes to citizen data received from departmental databases. This unique identification number will be available to all departmental databases. It will also be augmented with a household identification number — a unique record of all households, with contributing citizen records of the household. Officials said if a person's Aadhaar is linked to a ration card, that ration card number will be used as the family ID for everyone linked to it. If the Aadhaar isn't linked to any ration card, the person will be able to create a family ID by entering Aadhaar details manually. As part of the initiative, the government sought data from all departments, which will be verified and integrated into this hub. Depts submit data Officials said several departments, such as Food and Supplies (F&P), Principal Accounts Office, and Revenue Department, have shared their records with the IT Department. On a preliminary analysis of these records, an official said, 5,621 government employees with ration-card numbers were found — they are ineligible to avail this benefit. Around 395 of these beneficiaries were listed as the head of family in ration card records. Officials also said another 3,072 ration-card beneficiaries obtained income certificates (for income less than 1 lakh) from the Revenue department despite not being eligible. Recently, the Women and Child Development Department identified about 25,000 ineligible women receiving financial assistance under the Delhi Pension Scheme for Women in Distress, said officials. The government has shared the list of government employees with ration cards with the F&S department and officials concerned to initiate suitable action against them, including recovery of benefits taken, in coordination with the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
