BJP Rajya Sabha member from AP and former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday took strong exception to the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Yojana (National Health Protection Scheme) as the YSR Aarogyasri Scheme.
“Though it is funded by the Centre with contribution from the State, the YSR Congress Party Government was implementing it under the name of YSR Aarogyasri. We hope the scheme, the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the largest ever social security scheme in the world, is implemented in true letter and spirit,” he told reporters here after interacting with a few beneficiaries of various Centre-sponsored schemes.
When a reporter pointed out that the health scheme in the State was grounded before the Centre came up with Aushman Bharat Yojana, Mr. Prabhu said while merging both, credit should have been given to the Centre. “In fact, the BJP did not prefer to name its own scheme as Narendra Modi Health Scheme,” he pointed out with a note of sarcasm.
Stating that quality health was very important, he said loss of health in most cases would ruin family economy. Hence, the Modi Government came out with the revolutionary scheme to provide hospitalisation and other expenses required for treatment of people.
After getting landslide victory, Mr. Modi took the boldest decision post Independence by scrapping provisions of Article 370, which gave special powers to Jammu and Kashmir. By doing so, he fulfilled the dream of Sardar Vallabhai Patel of unifying the entire country. In fact, the provision in the constitution was incorporated temporarily.
He said the Bharatiya Jan Sangh was a strong votary of extending the same law to all areas of the country and after getting a thumping majority, the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah decided to remove the provisions of Article 370 and bifurcating J&K into Ladakh and Kashmir Union Territories.
To a question whether granting Special Category Status to AP was a closed chapter, he said the State had a special place in the heart and mind of the BJP. “We have allotted the highest ever allocations by Railways and other ministries to AP during 2014-19,” he pointed out.
Mr. Prabhu said that under MP Local Area Development Programme, he had sanctioned an ambulance to each of 13 districts with critical care facilities and promised to fund opening of trauma care centres.
BJP national executive member K. Haribabu, Mahila Morcha in-charge D. Purundeswari, senior leader P.V. Chalapathi Rao, MLC P.V.N. Madhav, spokesperson Suhasini Anand and State vice president Kasi Viswanath Raju were present.
