Centre, Delhi govt will fix crises together: CM

The coordination between the Centre and the new Delhi government is the biggest financial asset for the Capital and will help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration tide over the alleged financial mess left behind by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), chief minister Rekha Gupta said on Wednesday.

- Somya Lakhani and Alok KN Mishra

In an interview, Gupta also said that the government was aiming to make its welfare outreach sustainable, focussing on fixing the definition of "poor women" for its flagship poll announcement of ₹2,500 each to eligible beneficiaries. But she refused to put a timeline for the implementation of the promise that was at the heart of the party's victorious assembly elections campaign.

"The coordination between the Centre and the state government is the biggest financial asset for any state. The previous government didn't want to work in coordination with the Centre...this coordination will work as an asset due to which such a big budget was made, and due to this we will be able to carry out the development of Delhi," she said, roughly a week after presenting the budget.

She acknowledged that it was difficult to strike a balance between infrastructure building and welfare outreach, and defended her decision to not announce any big-ticket projects in the budget.