The minister's remark came after the Delhi High Court issued a notice to AAP government regarding its failure to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme
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Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and said that "they are busy selling liquor" instead of prioritising the health of the people in Delhi.
According to news agency ANI, while addressing a press conference, Mandaviya emphasised on the importance of the Central Government's Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Vaya Vandana schemes and said they "should benefit the people of Delhi."
"The Government of India has written and we request the Delhi Government to think about the health of the people of the national capital. But they are busy selling liquor. Central Government's schemes, such as Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Vay Vandana, should benefit the people of Delhi," Mandaviya said.
The minister's remark came after the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the AAP government over its failure to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme, ANI reported.
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On November 28, Delhi's Chief Minister, Atishi, expressed that the AAP government is ready to implement the scheme. However, there are contradictions between the facilities offered by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and those under Ayushman Bharat.
"The Delhi Government has always been committed to providing robust health facilities. We are ready to implement the core principles of Ayushman Bharat. However, there are significant contradictions between the facilities provided by Delhi Government hospitals and those under the Ayushman Yojana," she said, adding, "In Delhi Government hospitals, everything is free. On the other hand, Ayushman Bharat imposes restrictions, such as denying benefits to those who own a refrigerator, vehicle, or a concrete house. It also caps the financial assistance at Rs 5 lakh per family. If two family members are ill simultaneously, one may not receive benefits. We do not want to compromise free medical care. Therefore, we have instructed the health department to explore ways to implement the Ayushman Yojana without disadvantaging anyone."
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Bansuri Swaraj criticised AAP for "sacrificing the interest of people" by not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, ANI reported.
"I would like to thank the judges of the Delhi High Court. At a time when the AAP Government is sacrificing the interests of the people of Delhi, the high court has to play the role of protecting the interests of the people. The high court issued a notice [to the Delhi Government] when all the seven MPs of Delhi knocked at the doors of the court to implement PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), a Rs 5-lakh health cover to the people, the biggest such scheme in the world. But the AAP Government is keeping people away from this benefit owing to their political interests," Swaraj said.
On Thursday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to AAP Government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by all the seven BJP MPs from Delhi.
The petition sought directions for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
(With ANI inputs)
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