The Delhi government’s three-day campaign launched across 42 locations to educate and provide residents with access to welfare schemes and services under one roof has evoked mixed response. While many residents welcomed the initiative launched by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday, some found their applications stalled by missing documents. 

Alina, 17, who has just completed Class 12, arrived at a camp in Chandni Chowk to seek information on more than one scheme. “I want to get a scholarship to study in Jamia [Millia Islamia] and know if there is any work-related scheme for me so I could support my family financially,” she said. She left carrying brochures from the scholarship counter, but without any clarity on whether she qualified. 

Like Ms. Alina, many visitors used the camps to explore benefits they had never previously heard of. Others managed to complete paperwork in a single afternoon that would have taken multiple visits to different government offices. According to the government, 43,973 people visited the camps in two days to obtain information about welfare schemes and services, seek redress of grievances and complete necessary formalities. 

‘Simplifying things’ 

For some residents, the camps delivered immediate results. Ishrat, a resident of Daryaganj, got an Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) card made for her disabled daughter at the Chandni Chowk camp. “We are not educated people, and camps like these help simplify things for us,” she said. 

Shahina Parveen, who also obtained an ABHA card, said she filled a form to correct the spelling of her name on her ration card. “It was causing me problems for a long time,” she said. At a camp in Bengali Market, Anjana got her Saheli Pink Smart Card made, which allows free travel on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses. “The benefit is that everything gets done in one place,” she said. 

At the ABHA counter, Sunil said a damaged eye had gone untreated because of complicated medical documentation requirements. “My eye lens is damaged, and I haven’t been able to afford the treatment,” he said. He registered for an ABHA ID, which will digitally store his medical records for future hospital visits. 

Counters run by departments including the Delhi Jal Board and the House Tax Department offered services related to Pink cards, ration cards, e-Shram cards, Jan Dhan accounts, Aadhaar registration, PM SVANidhi and PM Surya Ghar solar registration, among others. Many visitors said they learned about schemes such as DJB connection regularisation, Ayushman cards for senior citizens above 70 years of age, and pension record updates only after visiting the camps. 

However, some left without their work getting done. At some ration card counters, applicants said they were turned away because they lacked income certificates or other supporting documents. The experience served as a reminder that even a single-window camp cannot entirely replace the paperwork and verification processes needed for welfare delivery on the ground. Whether the forms collected this week will translate into results will become clearer with the camps concluding on Saturday.  

By Alankrita Ray