BJD govt deprived people of Odisha Ayushman Bharat benefits for its personal interest Majhi

    Bhubaneswar, Jan 14 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday slammed the previous Naveen Patnaik government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state, alleging that the BJD dispensation had deprived people of benefits of the health insurance programme for its "personal interest".
    Majhi arrived here this morning from New Delhi, where he joined a programme on signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Odisha government and the Centre for implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana on Monday.
    "Though the Centre implemented the Ayushman Bharat scheme in 2018, the previous BJD government did not launch it in Odisha due to its personal interest," Majhi told reporters.
    The BJD rejected the allegation, asserting that the saffron party was trying to score political brownie points, which is “extremely sad and unfortunate”.
    Majhi also claimed that the BJP government implemented the scheme after the party came to power in the eastern state last year.
    "The BJP, as the opposition party, had demanded its implementation. However, the then BJD government did not pay attention to our demand. Finally, the people ousted the party from power and elected us to form a ‘double engine’ government in Odisha. Our government has implemented the Ayushman Bharat scheme," he said.
    The term 'double engine' is often used by BJP leaders to refer to the party being in power at the Centre and in a state.
    The Ayushman Bharat scheme provides cashless cover of up to Rs 5 lakh to each eligible family per annum for listed secondary and tertiary care conditions.
    "It was indeed a travesty that my sisters and brothers of Odisha were denied the benefits of Ayushman Bharat by the previous government. This scheme will ensure the highest-quality healthcare at affordable rates," Prime Minister Narendra Modi had posted on X on Monday.
    BJP president and Union Health Minister J P Nadda had on Monday also criticised the previous Naveen Patnaik dispensation for non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme on the basis of "political consideration and ego".
    Majhi said the BJD government’s 'Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana' (BSKY) has been replaced by the 'Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana' (GJAY), and his dispensation has converged it with the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
    The chief minister said 1.3 crore families of Odisha will benefit from the scheme, and they are now entitled to get health service in around 30,000 health facilities, instead of about 900 hospitals under the BSKY programme.
    Reacting to the allegations, BJD national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said in a post on X: "The people of Odisha know the benefits and beauty of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). However, during the 2024 elections the BJP had said that they would stop BSKY if they came to power as they termed it very bad. BJP has been in power in Odisha for the past seven months. If they have the guts let them stop BSKY as they had claimed during the elections."
    “Naveen Patnaik ji as the then chief minister never undertook any schemes or programmes for politics or political gains. The well-being of 4.5 crore people of Odisha were his only priority. But the manner in which the BJP is bringing about Ayushman Yojana into Odisha only smacks of political mud-slinging and trying to score political brownie points. This form of political discourse is extremely sad and unfortunate,” he added.
    The implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha was one of the major promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto.
    Majhi also announced that his government would set up 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir', a health centre, in each gram panchayat where a team comprising an Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM), a yoga teacher and a health worker will be engaged.
    With the convergence of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the GJAY programme, men will get health assurance of Rs 5 lakh and women Rs 10 lakh per annum, Majhi said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)