At its first meeting on Thursday, the newly-formed Delhi Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the capital. The Cabinet also discussed the Mahila Samriddhi Yojna and decided to table 14 pending reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the upcoming session of the eighth Delhi Assembly.
Addressing her first press conference as chief minister, Gupta criticised the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for blocking the Ayushman Bharat scheme, depriving Delhi residents of its benefits.
“The previous government had stalled the scheme’s implementation, even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured its rollout across the country. We have now approved it for Delhi,” Gupta stated.
The scheme will provide a total health cover of Rs 10 lakh per beneficiary, with equal contributions of Rs 5 lakh each from the Centre and the Delhi government. Gupta assured that the necessary formalities would be completed soon to initiate the scheme’s rollout at the earliest.
The Cabinet also resolved to present 14 pending CAG reports on Delhi’s government performance—documents that had been withheld under the previous administration—during the first session of the newly constituted Assembly.
Additionally, discussions took place on the Mahila Samriddhi Yojna, a BJP election promise that aims to provide Rs 2,500 in monthly financial assistance to eligible women in Delhi. While acknowledging its importance, Gupta noted that further deliberations were required to establish a proper registration and fund disbursement mechanism before implementation.
“We are working on the logistics of how and where to channel these funds. Further discussions will finalise the plan,” she said.
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Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi criticized the BJP-led government, accusing it of failing to fulfil its promise of approving the women’s welfare scheme in its very first Cabinet meeting.
In response, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor reassured that the scheme would be implemented as planned and urged the opposition not to raise premature concerns.
(With inputs from PTI)
