Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has directed an investigation into private individuals accused of collecting personal information about women under the ‘Mahila Samman Yojna’.
Following a recent meeting with Saxena at Raj Niwas, Congress politician and party candidate for the New Delhi Assembly seat, Sandeep Dikshit, filed a complaint, which prompted an inquiry.
The Aam Aadmi Party said that the Bharatiya Janata Party was scared of losing the February Assembly elections and wanted to halt its scheme.
The LG said that as this type of canvassing is taking place before the election, the chief electoral office of the Delhi government can notify the Election Commission of India about the matter.
In a letter to the police commissioner and chief secretary, LG’s principal secretary stated, “Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor has desired the Chief Secretary to get an inquiry conducted through Divisional Commissioner in the matter of collection of personal details and forms by non-government people.”
It said that if someone is found to be violating people’s privacy by gathering their personal information under the cover of enrolling them in ‘benefits’, the police commissioner may order the field officers to initiate legal action against them.
On Wednesday, Dikshit met Saxena and shared his concerns regarding the Mahila Samman Yojna, under which the Delhi government has pledged to provide Rs 1,000 per month to every woman in the city aged over 18.
According to the AAP, the government would increase the sum to Rs 2,100 per month if it wins the next election.
In the letter, Dikshit claimed that the AAP workers were reaching out to women door-to-door and forcing them to sign forms.
“Dikshit has asked to institute a high-level inquiry into the matter because it is evident from the clarification provided by the Women and Child Development Department, GNCTD, that this is a fraud being perpetrated by the AAP,” the letter stated.
Earlier this week, the WCD Department stated in newspapers that it will open a digital platform for form collecting as soon as the scheme is notified.
People were instructed by the department not to fill out paperwork that were given to them by unauthorised individuals.
In response, the AAP has claimed that the probe originated from the ‘office’ of Amit Shah, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, rather than the Delhi LG.
The Mahila Samman Yojna was receiving the entire support of the city’s women, according to the ruling party in Delhi, which also accused the BJP of showing no regard for women.
The party said that over 22 lakh women had already signed up for the scheme.
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