Priests to Get Rs 18,000 Monthly Under Kejriwal's New Scheme

Ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal unveiled the Pujari, Granthi Samman scheme on Monday. As part of this program, temple priests and gurdwara granthis will be granted a monthly stipend of around Rs 18,000.

He also mentioned that the plan will be put into action once the AAP government secures victory in the forthcoming elections in the national capital. Kejriwal said, "If Aam Aadmi Party wins, priests of temples and granthis of Gurudwara Sahib in Delhi will be given an honorarium of Rs. ₹ 18,000 per month. This scheme is a tribute to their spiritual contribution to the society and their efforts to preserve our cultural heritage. BJP people, don't try to stop this, it will be a big sin."

He stated, "This is an extraordinary occurrence in the nation. Clergy have traditionally upheld customs over time. He neglected his family, and as a result, we disregarded him. We acknowledge the significance of priests in our lives. Be it a child's birthday or the passing of a loved one, they have consistently linked us to the divine."

He said, "We have embarked on several groundbreaking projects in the national capital. We improved schools and hospitals and launched free bus travel for women. I hope the BJP and Congress administrations will be inspired by this and adopt similar measures in the states they govern."

Criticizing the BJP, he mentioned that they made every effort to halt the Mahila Samman Yojana by fabricating cases and deploying police. The registration for this scheme is still ongoing. They attempted to halt the Sanjeevani project, but failed. I don't want them to do the same with this plan.