Delhi: Outcome Budget Report Exposes AAP Government's Underperformance In Key Sectors

Despite the lofty promises made by the AAP government, the Outcome Budget report tabled in the Delhi assembly by Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot paints a bleak picture of the government's performance in meeting its own set targets.

The health sector has been a particularly dismal performer, with only 54 per cent of indicators 'on track'.

Despite pouring vast amounts of money into advertising Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics (AAMCs), the government has failed in meeting its target of 1,000 operational clinics.

The number of institutional deliveries facilitated through ASHA workers was also well below the annual target of 2.25 lakh.

A total of 57,790 patients suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) were put on treatment till December 2022 as against the total notified patients of 77,124 patients till December 2022.

The education sector, which is another focus area of the Kejriwal government, has also shown only 67 per cent of its 78 indicators 'on track'. This is hardly an impressive performance considering its claims of developing the world’s best education system.

The Outcome Report fails to provide any information regarding the number of schools, colleges, or hospitals established in the past year.

The Outcome Budget was introduced in 2017-18 as a tool linking the budget with outcomes, to capture the progress of various schemes, programmes and projects; and final deliverables from the citizens' perspective.   

Even the Public Works Department, responsible for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure such as roads and bridges, has only managed to achieve 68 per cent of its critical indicators.

In the transport sector, the government's decision to make the DTC bus service free for women has had little impact on fleet utilisation.

The average fleet utilisation of DTC buses was only 83.2 per cent, which is well below the target of 86 per cent. This failure can be attributed to the pitiful state of DTC buses, which urgently need to be replaced.

The percentage of average fleet utilisation of 3,319 cluster buses, owned and operated by private players, has fared better at 98.83 per cent. However, this does not negate the fact that the public transport system in the city is in dire need of improvement.

Within the social welfare domain, 66 per cent of the 44 Output/Outcome goals have been reached. In contrast to the 4.52 lakh elderly individuals who received monthly financial aid in 2021-22, merely around 4.24 lakh senior citizens were granted such assistance in 2022-23.

The Outcome Budget report reveals the AAP government's lacklustre performance in critical sectors.

(with inputs from PTI)