Delhi govt inks MoU with Centre to roll out Ayushman Bharat scheme

With this, Delhi has become the 35th state/Union Territory to implement the health insurance scheme. West Bengal is now the only state which has not implemented the scheme.

New Delhi: On Saturday, Delhi became the 35th Indian state to come onboard the Union government’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, leaving West Bengal as the only state that remains out of the flagship scheme.

The Delhi government signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Health Authority to become a part of the program under which a Rs 5 lakh insurance cover is provided to families belonging to poor socio-economic classes. The scheme has also been extended recently to all senior citizens above the age of 70.

“With around 30 lakh people belonging to over 6.5 lakh families and an estimated 6 lakh senior citizens, about 36 lakh people in Delhi will be benefitted by the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme”, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said.

Delhi, Odisha and West Bengal did not implement the Ayushman Bharat programme till last year and continued with their health insurance programmes.

With the BJP coming to power in Odisha and Delhi, the two state governments have decided to join the programme, leaving Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal the only state outside the scheme.

“The Delhi government would be giving an additional top-up of 5 lakhs over and above the cover provided by the Central Government. Around 6.54 lakh families in Delhi will be benefited under the scheme,” said Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.