AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced six guarantees for Goa on Friday, including 300 free units of electricity for every Goan, monthly financial support for women, health insurance for families and changes to land-use regulation under the state’s Town and Country Planning Act.
Speaking at a packed hall in Margao, Kejriwal promised 24/7 electricity along with 300 free units for every Goan. He also announced Rs 3,000 a month for every woman and Rs 10 lakh in health insurance cover for every family. The announcements combine household support with services that directly affect electricity affordability, healthcare access and women’s mobility.
The other guarantees include free bus travel for women and a sports ground in every village. Kejriwal also said an AAP government would scrap Section 39A of the TCP Act within a month. The provision was not explained in the report, but the announcement places land-use regulation and planning administration alongside welfare and public service commitments.
Kejriwal said Goans were facing high power bills, rising prices, water shortages, unemployment and corruption under the BJP government. He also alleged that the BJP wanted to sell Goan land to the highest bidder. These were political allegations made during the address and were not independently established in the report.
On women’s support, Kejriwal contrasted the proposed Goa payment with the state’s Griha Aadhar scheme. He said women currently had to meet multiple criteria to receive the benefit, while claiming that AAP provided support to every woman in Punjab without conditions. The report did not include a response from the Goa government or details of how the proposed scheme would be administered.
The funding of the guarantees was questioned during the event. Kejriwal responded that AAP had delivered similar commitments in Punjab and Delhi and said the issue was political will rather than the availability of funds. He also described Goa as having a cash-rich government. No cost estimate, budget allocation, eligibility framework or implementation document for the six guarantees was provided in the report.
The commitments extend an earlier pattern of AAP announcements in Goa. Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, Kejriwal had announced seven guarantees for young people, including a job for one unemployed person in every family, a monthly payment of Rs 3,000 until employment, 80% reservation of private jobs for Goans, and monthly support for workers affected by the Covid-related tourism downturn and the mining ban. He had also promised a skill university.
In December 2021, he promised to increase the Griha Aadhar benefit from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 and provide an additional Rs 1,000 to women who were excluded from the scheme. The latest announcement therefore adds new commitments on electricity, health insurance, public transport, planning law and village sports infrastructure while revisiting the question of unconditional support for women.
AAP Goa president Valmiki Naik accused the BJP of presiding over 15 years of corruption, high prices, crime and unemployment. The report did not include a response from the BJP or specify the next administrative step for converting the guarantees into policy proposals, budget provisions or legislation.
