On the last day of the Delhi Assembly polls campaign, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit compared the development statistics of Delhi and Gujarat, a state which is 132 times the size of Delhi.
Addressing a press meet at the lawns of her sprawling residence on Monday, Dikshit, without naming BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, rejected the claims of “the so-called tallest leader of the BJP”, who termed Delhi the most mal-administered state.She went on to say that Gujarat is still far behind Delhi as far as different parameters are concerned. She expressed surprise over the ignorance of Gujarat leader, who has been “roaring across the country without verifying the facts and figures”.
She added that a leader, who has been named PM candidate, never be so ill-informed and ignorant.
In case, such a leader adorns the highest executive post of the country, the nation is going to be in a mess, she said. Dikshit stated that the Delhi’s per-capita income, as per the planning Commission’s 2013 figures, is `2,01,083 against Gujarat’s `99,000. The average annual growth (during 2006-2011) of Delhi is 10.3 per cent, whereas it is 9.5 per cent for Gujarat. The Delhi CM, while referring the UN index 2013 in respect of population under ‘Severe Poverty’ published in 2013, stated that poverty figure for Delhi is 3 per cent, whereas for Gujarat, it is 6 times more i.e. 19 per cent. Delhi’s death rate of 4.2, which is lowest in the country and for Gujarat it is 6.6 -- 57 per cent more than Delhi and the 7th lowest in the country.
Infant mortality rate is 25 in Delhi whereas it is 38 in Gujarat, she said.
Dikshit stated that Delhi can boast of its total expenditure on social sector as percentage of budget as per RBI figures. Delhi’s position is 3rd in the country with 47.9 per cent, whereas Gujarat is on 21st position with 37.6 per cent. She added that the per capita health expenditure in Delhi is Rs. 16, 578, which is four times higher than Gujarat’s Rs. 4,426.
While referring to another health indicator, Dikshit added that the average population served per bed by a government hospital in Delhi is 744, whereas it is 1,746 in Gujarat.
Gujarat is also far behind in respect of per capita expenditure on water supply and sanitation than Delhi.
Delhi provides the drainage system to 96 per cent of the population, whereas it is 47 per cent in Gujarat.
“We provide monthly pension to the aged, widows and disabled from Rs. 1,000-1,500, whereas Gujarat is releasing a meagre amount of Rs. 200-400 per month. Delhi’s green cover is being acclaimed across the world. Delhi hiked its green cover from approximate 1 per cent to 20 per cent, whereas in Gujarat it decreased from 13 to 11 per cent.”
Dikshit stated that the so-called tallest leader has no locus standi in projecting Gujarat as the number one state. She alleged that the Opposition parties were making false promises by stating that they would bring down power rates by 30 pc.
“It is not possible as the DERC is the sole authority to decide the tariff, keeping in view the input cost and other factors. Even the tariff in Delhi is much cheaper than all metro cities, NCR towns and Ahmedabad, Patna, UP, Haryana,” she said.
She stated that the main rival of the Congress is the BJP.