Kejriwal announces Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana ahead of Delhi Assembly elections, to give Rs…

Amid a huge row over a scheme that promises a monthly stipend to unemployed women, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a new scheme that offers a monthly honorarium of ₹18000 to Hindu and Sikh priests. The former Delhi chief minister said the registration for the Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana will begin on Tuesday.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference.(PTI file photo)

"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 ₹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," Kejriwal said at a press conference.

Kejriwal said he would kickstart the scheme after visiting the Hanuman Temple in Delhi's Connaught Place.