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Bajwa slams CM Mann’s statement over discarding Ayushman scheme
Bajwa said that mohalla clinics for which the chief minister is full of praise have, in fact, been planned at the constituency level, 117 in all
Chandigarh : Leader of opposition (LOP) in the Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday said that chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement to discard Ayushman Bharat Scheme with mohalla clinics proves non-application of the judicious mind and utter failure in evaluating the pros and cons of the most popular and beneficial scheme providing cashless treatment of ₹5 lakh per family the cost of which is being shared by Centre on 60:40 basis.
In a statement, Bajwa said that mohalla clinics for which the chief minister is full of praise have, in fact, been planned at the constituency level, 117 in all. “The nomenclature of mohalla clinics by the Aam Aadmi Party itself is a misnomer. In Delhi, it may well be likened to a mohalla but the same cannot be replicated in Punjab considering its total area and the large size of its population in comparison,” he said.
The LOP said the inauguration of mohalla clinics in Punjab shows a simple conversion of the Sewa Kendras into mohalla clinics.
BJP ridicules CM
BJP leader Subhash Sharma also ridiculed the CM’s statement that Punjab will not need Ayushman Bharat Yojana scheme by next year as the state will have mohalla clinics and improved hospital infrastructure.
State BJP general secretary Sharma said Mann’s remark only reveals “ignorance” of the government about the Ayushman scheme or a “conspiracy” to close it down in Punjab to provide benefits to private hospitals.
₹100cr released under Ayushman scheme
Chandigarh: The Punjab finance department on Sunday released ₹100 crore under Ayushman Bharat - Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana. A spokesperson said of total outstanding of ₹216 crore, the department of health and family welfare has released ₹85 crore to 920 government and private empanelled hospitals, including PGIMER, Chandigarh, GMCH-32, Chandigarh, on August 6. The government had stopped disbursal of funds two days ago over reports of irregularities.
