L-G provides underprivileged people with documentation about Ayushman Bharat amenities

On Sunday, Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena issued an order for the recovery of documents belonging to underprivileged populations who are not eligible to receive the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat health initiative. Saxena emphasized that the AAP government’s stubbornness had resulted in the scheme’s non-implementation in Delhi, despite many pleas and protests from disadvantaged groups.

Applying Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR) Rule 19(5), the L-G instructed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to put the plan into effect as soon as possible to help the poorest of the poor. “Saxena, in disposing of the file, highlighted that although the government had announced it in the 2020 budget, it had been stalled for mere political reasons,” according to L-G office officials. He further said that some applicants have been on the waiting list since 2018 in order to get ration cards for worthy recipients.

Saxena emphasized the condition of Delhi’s public health system and government hospitals, referencing recent High Court findings in an ongoing case as well as affidavits from the Delhi government that clearly show serious shortcomings.

The L-G emphasized in his note that, since 2018, three successive health ministers—Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Saurabh Bhardwaj—had six times postponed the file on thinly veiled political grounds, even though the Indian government had made it clear that the GNCTD could give “Ayushman Bharat” any name they chose.