SC stays HC directive for scheme in Capital

THE ISSUE OF THE HEALTH SCHEME HAS BECOME A FLASHPOINT WITH BOTH AAP AND BJP LEVERAGING THE DEBATE TO BOLSTER THEIR POLL NARRATIVES

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Delhi high court's directive requiring the Delhi government to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the central government by January 5 for implementing the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) in the national capital.

A bench comprising justices Bhushan R Gavai and AG Masih issued the stay order while seeking a response from the Centre on the Delhi government's challenge to the high court order issued on December 24.

The timing of the Supreme Court's intervention and the political tussle over the implementation of the PM-ABHIM come at a critical juncture, with Delhi gearing up for assembly polls on February 5 and results scheduled for February 8.

The issue has become a flash-point in the ongoing political rivalry between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with both sides leveraging the health care debate to bolster their electoral narratives. While the BJP accuses the AAP government of depriving Delhi residents of better health care by rejecting the central scheme, AAP counters by highlighting its broader health coverage initiatives and questioning the Centre's financial commitments.

Delhi is one of two states that doesn't implement the central health scheme, the other being West Bengal.