No Ayushman Bharat For Delhi? Kejriwal’s AAP Wants Modi’s Scheme Named After Delhi CM, Over 20 Lakh May Suffer

Over 20 lakh potential beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna, a flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government, may suffer as the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has raised objections over the name of the scheme, India Today has said in a report.

According to the report, the AAP wants the scheme named after Delhi Chief Minister and has reportedly proposed 'Mukhya Mantri Aam Aadmi Swasthya Bima Yojana-Ayushman Bharat' as an acceptable option to the Centre.

The Centre has, according to the India Today report, asked the state to at least keep ‘Ayushman Bharat’ at the beginning of the sentence. It is reportedly open to discussing the remaining part of the name, the report says.

It doesn't end here. The AAP government wants to add 50 lakh people to the list of beneficiaries. The Centre has identified 20 lakh beneficiaries based on the 2011 caste census and is unlikely to meet this demand.

By some accounts, the aim of the AAP government is to derail or delay the rollout of the scheme, which is to go live on 25 September.

The scheme, also called the world’s largest health care plan of its kind, will provide cashless insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for hospitalisation. Over 500 million people are likely to benefit from the scheme.