Kejriwal Announces ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’ Ahead Of 2025 Delhi Elections

Ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday unveiled the ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’, a scheme aimed at providing an honorarium of Rs 18,000 per month to priests (pujaris) of temples and granthis of Gurudwaras in Delhi.

He said that the scheme would be implemented if AAP wins the upcoming elections.

Kejriwal stated, “Today I am making an important announcement regarding a scheme. The name of the scheme is Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana.”

“Under this, there is a provision to give an honorarium to the priests of temples and the ‘granthis’ of the Gurudwara. They will be given an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month. This is happening for the first time in the country. The priest is a class that has carried forward the rituals from generation to generation. They never paid attention to their family and we never paid attention to them,” he added.

The AAP National Convenor further remarked, “We know how pujaris serve us. Be it the birthday of our kid or the death of a loved one, they have always connected us with God. But they never gave attention to their own families, and neither did we pay enough attention to them. This is happening for the first time in the country.”

“We have done many works in the national capital which happened for the very first time. We improved schools and hospitals and made bus travel for women. I just hope that the BJP and the Congress governments will learn from this and will implement such schemes in the state run by them,” Kejriwal noted.

In a direct attack on the BJP, Kejriwal accused the party of attempting to stop schemes like the Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana through false cases and police action.

“I want them to not do the same with this scheme,” Kejriwal remarked.

Earlier on Monday, Imams from the Delhi Waqf Board staged a protest outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence over delayed salaries.

Speaking to ANI, All India Imam Association Chairman Sajid Rashidi expressed frustration over the 17-month delay in salary payments.

Despite meeting with government officials and leaders multiple times, they have taken no action. Rashidi warned that if the government does not release the salaries, the imams will keep protesting until they receive them.

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