A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the governments of Delhi and West Bengal for not joining the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) “due to their political interests”, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national covener Arvind Kejriwal hit back, claiming that the programme was “a major scam”.
Mr. Modi had on Tuesday, while announcing the expansion of the Centre’s health insurance scheme to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, expressed concern that senior citizens in the two States would not be able to avail themselves of free treatment under the expanded programme.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Kejriwal said there is no need to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the national capital as the AAP government provides free treatment of up to ₹1 crore to all city residents.
He also cited news reports on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)’s 2023 performance audit of the Union government’s flagship health insurance scheme and claimed it was riddled with scams.
The CAG report on PM-JAY had noted multiple cases of treatment being provided to patients who had already been declared dead, as well as for thousands of people using the same Aadhaar number or invalid mobile phone number.
Mr. Kejriwal said, “Every resident of Delhi, whether they have a simple cold or need hospitalisation, receives treatment, medication, and tests free of charge — no limits, no caps. In Delhi, whether it’s a five-rupee tablet or a treatment costing ₹1 crore, everything is provided free of charge.”
“If medicines, tests, and treatment are all free in Delhi, then there is no need for the Ayushman Bharat scheme here. Modiji should study the Delhi healthcare scheme and implement it across the country,” he added.
He also said the Centre’s health insurance scheme offers coverage up to ₹5 lakh but only to those who are hospitalised.
AAP’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar claimed that under PM-JAY, those who own a refrigerator, television, mobile phone, or scooter are excluded from the benefits.
‘Hunger for publicity’
Hitting out at the AAP chief, Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena said Mr. Kejriwal was opposed to the Ayushman Bharat scheme “only because you wanted your name to be associated with this scheme in any way”.
In an official statement, the L-G said the Delhi government’s Health Department had recommended the implementation of PM-JAY in 2018, and then Health Minister Manish Sisodia had approved it. He added that Mr. Sisodia had subsequently, in the capacity of Delhi Finance Minister, announced that the programme would be implemented.
However, Mr. Saxena added, “Your narcissism and hunger for publicity has not allowed the Delhi government to implement this scheme till now.”
Published - October 31, 2024 12:32 am IST