The Congress on Saturday picked holes in the statements made by Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia on National Health Protection Scheme aimed at extending health insurance to more than 10 crore families.
This is the third health scheme that the Modi government has introduced in the last three years, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. “In the February, 2016 Budget, it introduced Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, which promised an insurance cover of ₹1 lakh. By December 2016, nothing had happened on it.” In the 2017 Budget, a new scheme promised an insurance cover to 26.57 crore below-poverty-line cardholders. A cover of ₹30,000 was promised. By 2017-end, over 21 crore BPL cardholders had not received any health card. “Now, in 2018, in the name of Modicare, they have come up with another pack of lies,” he said.
The government itself was in confusion, he said. “Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says we will implement the scheme, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia says it will be implemented from October, Health Minister J.P. Nadda says the Centre will bear only half of the cost and the rest has to be paid by the States. Whom should the poor believe,” he asked.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said no funds were allocated for the scheme.
Political gimmick
“If 10 crore families are to be given an insurance cover of ₹5 lakh, you need at least ₹1.5 lakh crore. Where is the money? It is nothing but a gimmick meant to hoodwink voters in an election year,” he said.
This scheme would need three times the sum allocated for the Union Health Department, he said. On Mr. Nadda’s statement that the States need to bear half of the cost, he said it would be a violation of States’ right.
