A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, demanding the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Scheme in the national capital. The petition seeks the Central Government’s intervention to ensure that Delhi’s elderly residents above 70 receive free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, as guaranteed under the scheme.
Sachdeva’s plea alleges the Delhi government’s non-compliance with this Central scheme, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously said would benefit 6 crore people nationwide. The Prime Minister has voiced concerns over the capital’s elderly population missing out on these healthcare benefits.
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The petition has sparked a political exchange between the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with Sachdeva accusing AAP of reneging on its earlier promise to implement Ayushman Bharat. He claims that former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had committed to adopting the scheme in Delhi.
In response, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cited alleged irregularities in Ayushman Bharat as noted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), asserting that the Delhi government already provides free healthcare, making the Central scheme redundant.
The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) offers up to Rs 5 lakh of free annual treatment for citizens aged 70 and above, without discrimination, in participating hospitals across India.