Arvind Kejriwal sets out "Delhi development Model" in maiden Republic Day speech

NEW DELHI: Next month, the AAP government will be completing one year in governance. And in his maiden Republic Day speech chief minister Arvind Kejriwal made a pitch for his government’s performance. The “Gujarat Model” projection saw Narendra Modi position himself on the national platform and eventually emerge as the Prime Minister. Now, Kejriwal is setting out his own formula of a “Delhi Development Model”.

The CM has four principles — invest in people, believe in people, create smart people before smart city and make ease of doing business real. He also made it clear that his government’s focus is the welfare of the middle class and poor. Education and health remain key sectors for reform.

Kejriwal was clearly seen charting a journey that seeks to broaden AAP’s reach to a national level. While ensuring that he kept his constituents as the focus of attention, he tried to present a report card of sorts on the many subsidies and sops delivered to the poor and low-income urban dweller. By drawing in the middle class into his Delhi Development Model, he clearly sought to hold the attention of a mass that has been critically assessing his government.

While sharing all the schemes and plans that AAP has been trying to deliver, the CM said that in the last one year of governance a new development model for Delhi has emerged.

“First, I would like to make it clear there is no dearth of money in government. In the past (hinting at the Congress regime) the intention was lacking. We have the intention to deliver change,” Kejriwal said.

“Our model is about investing in empowering people. We need smart cities, but before that we need smart people. Once you have smart people smart cities will follow,” Kejriwal said, asserting the need to improve health and education infrastructure.