NEW DELHI: Disputing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusation that the governments of Delhi and West Bengal are neglecting the Ayushman Bharat scheme due to ‘political interests’, the Aam Aadmi Party countered on Tuesday by arguing that the central scheme’s eligibility criteria would prevent ‘a single resident’ in the national capital from benefiting.
“If you own a refrigerator, a motorcycle, or have an income above Rs 10,000, you cannot avail of Ayushman Bharat benefits,” Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh argued.
He said the scheme was “one of the biggest scams in BJP-led states,” and called for an analysis of data from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to uncover the alleged fraud.
“A thorough investigation would reveal large-scale mismanagement within Ayushman Bharat, leading to significant waste and misuse of resources in these states,” he alleged.
Ayushman Bharat, the government’s flagship programme to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), was launched in 2018. The scheme has two inter-related components: health and wellness centres and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) that aims to provide a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 12 crore families that form the bottom 40% of the population.
Addressing a public gathering at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Ayurveda, Modi said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in the two states. He called it a missed opportunity to serve the senior citizens.
“I apologise to all the elderly above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state government’s decisions, I cannot help you,” he stated.
Modi launched development projects worth over Rs 12,850 crore on the occasion of Ayurveda Day and the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine said that during this year’s general elections, he had promised that people of 70 years and above would be brought under the Ayushman Bharat.