NEW DELHI: Just hours after taking office, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta held a one-hour meeting with the council of ministers on Thursday evening, where she approved the rollout of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, which had been refused by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Gupta also announced that the 14 pending CAG reports would be tabled in the upcoming session of the Delhi Assembly.
These reports include details of large-scale overspending, with one particular CAG report revealing major financial mismanagement in the renovation of the Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence at 6 Flag Staff Road.
Originally budgeted at Rs 7.61 crore in 2020, the project’s cost surged to Rs 33.66 crore by April 2022, marking an increase of 342 per cent. Both the BJP and Congress have used the findings to criticise former CM Arvind Kejriwal for alleged misuse of public funds during his tenure.
The cabinet also discussed a financial assistance plan for women, which had been promised by the BJP during the election campaign. Sources revealed that the budget for this Rs 2,500 per month scheme still requires further discussion with officials from the Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD).
Last week, the Delhi Chief Secretary instructed the Health Department to prepare a Cabinet note on the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the city. The health insurance scheme has been implemented in all states except West Bengal and Delhi.
The outgoing AAP government, which was in power in Delhi for 10 years, did not implement the scheme, maintaining that under its Delhi Arogya Kosh, free treatment is already being provided to the people of Delhi. The BJP, meanwhile, had highlighted that under Ayushman Bharat Yojana, those aged 70 or more — irrespective of their income — will be entitled to a cover of Rs 5 lakh annually to be shared within the family.
