Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the capital during her first Cabinet meeting, fulfilling a key election promise. Gupta criticized the previous AAP government for delaying the scheme’s rollout, stating it will now include a state top-up of Rs 5 lakh. She also revealed plans to table 14 pending Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the Assembly, a point of contention linked to AAP leaders’ legal issues. The move could provoke a political showdown, especially regarding the benefits of Ayushman Bharat compared to existing state schemes.
New Delhi:
In line with a major electoral commitment, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced following the inaugural Cabinet meeting on Thursday that her administration will roll out the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the capital. This announcement could spark a political confrontation, as the chief minister also revealed that 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, which were allegedly sidelined by the previous AAP government, will be brought before the Assembly.
After the meeting, Ms. Gupta addressed reporters in Hindi, stating, “During the cabinet meeting, we made two significant decisions. The Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which the former government held back, will be implemented in Delhi with an additional Rs 5 lakh from the state. PM Narendra Modi launched the scheme nationwide, but the benefits did not reach Delhi due to the AAP. We will proceed with this swiftly once the necessary formalities are completed.”
“There are 14 CAG reports pending that the previous government did not present. They will be introduced in the first session of the Assembly. We made these decisions today. We will focus on our other commitments, shape each one of them, and present them to you shortly,” she continued.
The rollout of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana has been a contentious issue between the AAP and BJP. BJP MPs have filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, requesting that the scheme be made available to the capital’s residents.
On the other hand, the AAP contended that the residents of Delhi enjoy “superior” advantages through the Delhi government’s initiatives and that implementing Ayushman Bharat would effectively downgrade those benefits. The Delhi government argued that the Centre’s reliance on the 2011 Census data for the Ayushman Bharat scheme was “outdated and irrelevant,” failing to account for the changing societal context.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj indicated that the Delhi government showed no intention of executing the central scheme. The issue has been leveraged by both parties in elections, with the BJP pledging to implement Ayushman Bharat upon gaining power.
The introduction of the 14 CAG reports, including one related to the annulled liquor policy—which led to the incarceration of AAP chief and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and other AAP leaders—has also become a significant political issue.
This situation is currently being evaluated in the Delhi High Court, which last month declined to mandate a special Assembly session to discuss the reports but acknowledged the delay in their presentation.
Atishi’s Challenge
Before the first cabinet meeting, former chief minister Atishi called on the BJP to follow through on its additional electoral promise of providing Rs 2,500 monthly to eligible women. When Chief Minister Gupta was questioned about this, she remarked, “This is our government, and the agenda will be determined by us. Ask her (Atishi) why it wasn’t implemented when the AAP was in charge.”
In response, Atishi claimed that the women of Delhi were waiting for the BJP to honor its promise, but the party had failed to deliver. “The BJP has started to break its promises right from day one,” she stated.
The BJP won 48 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, regaining control of the national capital after 26 years and diminishing the once-dominant AAP to just 22 seats.