PMJAY unsuitable to meet people's needs, Delhi govt schemes superior

The Delhi government has told the high court it will not implement the Centre's Ayushman Bharat Pradhanmantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY) in the Capital, arguing that doing so would downgrade existing health schemes in Delhi and deprive residents of "superior" benefits already in place by Delhi government schemes.

- Shruti Kakkar

In an affidavit before the high court, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government emphasised that the scheme, launched by the Centre in 2018, was unsuitable for Delhi as it relied on outdated data and estimations.

The affidavit was filed in response to a petition by seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, who had sought implementation of AB-PMJAY, a health insurance scheme offering ₹5 lakh coverage per family for hospital care through empanelled hospitals. The BJP and AAP have been at loggerheads over this issue, with BJP leaders accusing the Delhi government of denying residents key healthcare benefits provided under the central scheme.