Delhi Assembly elections: AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide a 50% subsidy on Metro fares for school and college students. He also proposed that the burden of this subsidy can be borne by the state and central government by a ratio of 50:50. The proposal holds significance as it comes just hours before hours BJP is scheduled to release manifesto of the Delhi Assembly elections.
What the letter said?
“To reduce the financial burden on students, I propose to give 50 per cent concession to students in Delhi Metro,” the letter read.
“Delhi Metro is a 50:50 joint project between the Delhi Government and the Central Government. Therefore, the expenditure on this should be borne equally by the Delhi Government and the Central Government,” the letter read. Notably, Delhi Metro is run in collaboration between the Delhi and the central governments.
Kejriwal said that the students in Delhi are dependent on the Metro for commuting to schools and colleges and thus, the financial burden on them must be reduced.
“l am writing this letter to draw your attention to an important matter concerning the school and college students of Delhi. The students of Delhi depend largely on the Metro to commute to their school or college,” the letter read.
He further wrote, “We are planning free bus travel for students from our side.”
Kejriwal files nomination
Kejriwal on Wednesday filed his nomination for the upcoming assembly elections from the New Delhi constituency, and declared net assets totalling ₹1.73 crore.
According to Kejriwal’s affidavit submitted to the Election Commission (EC), his assets include ₹2.96 lakh in bank savings and ₹50,000 in cash. His immovable assets are worth ₹1.7 crore. The affidavit also revealed that Kejriwal owns no house or car.
