NEW DELHI: A day after ECI announced the schedule for Delhi assembly elections, Congress unveiled an ambitious promise -- a Rs 25 lakh health insurance cover per family under the proposed 'Jeevan Raksha Yojana' (JRY).
The party hopes the scheme will be a game-changer in its quest to regain relevance in Delhi politics.
Party leaders touted the JRY as a health revolution akin to much lauded Rajasthan’s Chiranjeevi Yojana.
Pointing at the success of the 'Chiranjeevi Yojana' in Rajasthan, former Rajasthan CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said over 55 lakh people benefited from the scheme and reduced the out-of-pocket health expenditures from 74% in 2018-19 to 45%.
The program covers over 1,000 medical procedures, including critical illnesses, accident coverage up to Rs 10 lakh, and organ transplant facilities.
“Rajasthan’s example proves that such a scheme can deliver tangible benefits,” Gehlot said, adding that it would bring quality healthcare to both government and private hospitals in Delhi.
Delhi Congress Chief Devender Yadav attacked the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the BJP-led Centre, accusing them of failing to address Delhi’s growing health crises.
“The air is poisonous, water is contaminated, and food is adulterated. Serious diseases are gripping the city, yet the health systems collapse whenever people need them the most,” Yadav alleged.
He accused AAP of making hollow promises about improving healthcare while dismantling key welfare schemes introduced during Sheila Dikshit’s tenure.
Congress, which has seen its vote share plummet from 24.5% in 2013 to just 4.3% in 2020, is banking on welfare-driven promises to rebuild its voter base. Alongside JRY, the party recently announced the 'Pyaari Didi Yojana,' which offers Rs 2,500 in monthly assistance to women.
Delhi’s assembly election promises to be a three-way contest between AAP, BJP, and Congress. Stakes are especially high for AAP, which is defending its decade-long hold on Delhi.
Congress, meanwhile, is pinning its hopes on voters disillusioned with AAP’s governance and enticed by the promise of transformative schemes like the Jeevan Raksha Yojana.
