Now Reading: Bengal gets Rs 3,000 cr healthcare boost, Ayushman rollout from July
-
01
Bengal gets Rs 3,000 cr healthcare boost, Ayushman rollout from July
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that the Centre has sanctioned about Rs 3,000 crore for revamping the state's public healthcare sector this fiscal, with Rs 500 crore already…
The Story in Brief
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that the Centre has sanctioned about Rs 3,000 crore for revamping the state's public healthcare sector this fiscal, with Rs 500 crore already released. He said Ayushman Bharat health insurance cards will likely be distributed from July, covering around six crore existing Swasthya Sathi cardholders initially.
The announcement marks a shift from the previous Mamata Banerjee government's claims that the BJP-led Centre withheld nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in funds. Adhikari said the Union Health Minister has assured reimbursement of earlier NHM allocations once utilisation certificates for 2021-22 are submitted by May 30. The state also plans to sign an agreement in June to extend Ayushman cover to over one crore migrant residents.
The Indian Opinion
The sudden flow of central funds to Bengal exposes the old charge of 'deliberate fund withholding' as at least partly exaggerated. But Adhikari must now prove he can process utilisation certificates faster than his predecessor. The real test: will the Rs 500 crore already in hand actually reach district hospitals and patients before the next budget cycle? Or will bureaucratic inertia persist regardless of who is in power?
Source: millenniumpost.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
