AAP wants Centre to drop 'PM' from scheme name

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta on Thursday alleg-ed that with just three weeks before the roll out of the Union governme-nt’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Arogaya Yo-jna on September 25, the Aam Adami Party (AAP) government has put obstacles in its implementation.

Mr Gupta claimed that the government is going to derail the scheme in the national capital just because it is Centrally sponsored.

Mr Gupta said that with the motive of taking full political credit for Centrally sponsored scheme, it wants the name of the scheme to be ‘Mukhya Mantri Aam Aadami Swa-sthaya Beema Yojna — Ayushman Bharat’.

Mr Gupta claimed that the negative and narrow minded attitude of the AAP makes it put party above the poor beneficiaries. “It has jeopardised the scheme which is going to benefit more than 20 lakhs people who have no access to medical facilities including hospitalisation. The last minute hurdle by AAP government has derailed the process for sending unique quick response  code, which will be sent on September 5 to each identified family to avail an annual cashless health insurance cover under the scheme,” said Mr Gupta.

Mr Gupta mentioned that as many as 29 states have already signed up for the scheme and the remaining states are likely to sign within a day or two. “AAP government’s insistence on name change sounds politically motivated and unreasonable,” Mr Gupta added.  

Mr Gupta urged chief minister Arvind Kejriwal not to interfere with the implementation of the Central government’s mega health insurance scheme for the poor. “This is a totally selfish motive to change a name of the scheme. It is unfortunate that the Delhi government has backtracked at the last minute,” he said.

It stands exposed. Other states are already on their way to implement the scheme,” he said.