Every party's duty to formulate policies as per society's needs: AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj on Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana

New Delhi [India], December 30 (ANI): Reacting to the announcement of the 'Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana', Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Monday said that it is the moral duty of every party to formulate policies as per the needs of the society. He further emphasised that the Pujaris and Granthis should be given financial aid as they are not economically well off.
"It is the duty of every party to formulate its policies according to the needs of the society and work for it. If you visit the house of any pujari or granthi, you will find out that the whole family is living in a small room in the temple. The pujaris do not make their children engineers or doctors because they want the culture to pass on to the next generation, so they teach them about rituals. So it is the responsibility of the government to do something for those who have persevered in our tradition like warriors. And if you exclude a few or two per cent of the people, then ninety-nine per cent of these people live in extreme poverty. They do not have money to get their children treated if they get sick," said Saurabh Bhardwaj.
Ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced 'Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana' under which he stated that the priests of temples and the 'granthis' of the Gurudwara will receive an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month. He further stated that this scheme would be implemented once the AAP from the government winning in the upcoming polls in the national capital.
"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 Rs 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," said Kejriwal. (ANI)