Mamata Banerjee’s ‘unhealthy’ politics; pulls out Ayushmaan Bharat scheme from WB

NewsBharati    11-Jan-2019
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Kolkata, January 11: Talking about beneficiaries for poor, the central government had roped in by launching the ambitious Ayushmaan Bharat aiming to provide health facilities. But this didn’t go well with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as she announced pulling out the state from owning the beneficiaries of the health scheme for poor in WB.

The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that her government will not bear the 40% amount of the share towards Ayushmaan Bharat. The decision from the WB Chief Minister does not come as a major shock to many because the TMC is very evidently presenting their discomfort for helping the central government working towards the benefits of the poor.

Mamata Banerjee stated, “We are withdrawing from the Ayushman Bharat scheme. My state will not contribute 40% of the funds for the scheme.” She alleged that the Centre is using the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the official communication of the flagship Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna to take credit for a jointly-funded project.

Naive as it seems, the West Bengal Chief Minister rightly does not care for the beneficiaries owned towards the development of the poor where the government is ready to bear 60% of the share. BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha hit back immediately on Mamata Banerjee’s allegation saying, “Like all other states, Bengal also gets a share of the tax pool. But Mamata Banerjee is behaving as if she is running a sovereign country. Moreover, we always encounter her pictures at all places from bus stands to public toilets.”

The National Health Authority (NHA), the central body responsible for implementation of the scheme, have been trying to reach out to the West Bengal government but there has been no response.

Described as the world’s largest public health insurance, the Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission, launched on September 23, provides coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh for 10 crore poor families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.