NEW DELHI: The AAP on Sunday accused the BJP-led Delhi government of discontinuing the ‘Farishtey Dilli Ke’ scheme, which provided free medical treatment to road accident victims in private hospitals.
The opposition party claimed that the city government has removed it from the recently tabled Budget. AAP leader and former health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the scheme, introduced by then Arvind Kejriwal government in 2017, ensured that road accident victims received immediate, free treatment at private hospitals, with all expenses covered by the Delhi government.
Bharadwaj claimed that by 2021, nearly 10,000 people benefitted from the scheme, meaning thousands of lives were saved. He slammed the BJP government’s decision, calling it “unimaginable that any government would shut down a scheme designed to save lives.” He asserted BJP has once again turned its back on Delhiites.
Bharadwaj said that the BJP had been attempting to end the scheme even when AAP was in power. He said, “When the AAP was in power in Delhi, I wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor in 2023 as minister, informing him that officials under his administration were conspiring to shut down the Farishtey scheme. I told him that the funds allocated for the scheme had not been released by the officials. However, the L-G dismissed my complaint as false and took no action. Left with no other option, I had to approach the Supreme Court.”
He described how legal intervention forced the release of funds for the scheme.
“The case was heard by a bench comprising Justice Gavai and Justice K.V. Viswanathan. The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Lieutenant Governor and under pressure, the officials under his administration finally released the funds, allowing the Farishtey scheme to resume in the capital.”