Citizens in West Bengal will now benefit from Ayushman Bharat: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forms government in West Bengal, the people of the state will now be able to benefit from the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. He emphasized that the new 'double engine government' will ensure the effective implementation of central welfare programs.

On social media platform 'X', Mr. Modi said, "The welfare of my brothers and sisters of West Bengal is my top priority. I am delighted that the people of the state will now have access to Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest healthcare scheme that ensures quality and affordable medical services." He added that the double engine government will also ensure the uninterrupted delivery of central schemes.

The Prime Minister's statement comes after the BJP officially took power in West Bengal, ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress and pushing out the government led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP had made the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and better coordination with the center a key issue in its election campaign, accusing the previous Trinamool government of blocking several central schemes for political reasons.

Ayushman Bharat, officially known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, provides annual health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family for economically weaker families to get admitted to secondary and tertiary hospitals. During the Trinamool government's rule, West Bengal had opted out of the scheme and instead run its own health insurance program 'Swasthya Sathi', which the Banerjee government had presented as a more comprehensive alternative.

In a post on social media platform X, Modi said that the welfare of the people of West Bengal is his top priority and expressed happiness that the state's residents will finally have access to Ayushman Bharat, which he described as the world's largest healthcare scheme that provides quality and affordable medical care.

The Prime Minister said, "The welfare of my sisters and brothers of West Bengal is paramount. I am delighted that the people of the state will now have access to Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest healthcare scheme that ensures quality and affordable medical care. At the same time, the double engine government will ensure the uninterrupted delivery of key central schemes."

The Prime Minister made the statement a few days after the BJP officially took power in West Bengal, ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress and pushing out the government led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP had made the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and better coordination with the center key issues in its election campaign, accusing the previous Trinamool administration of blocking several center-backed schemes for political reasons.

Ayushman Bharat, officially known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, provides health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per year for economically weaker families who need to get admitted to secondary and tertiary hospitals. During the Trinamool rule, West Bengal had stayed out of the scheme and instead run its own health insurance program 'Swasthya Sathi', which the Banerjee government had presented as a more comprehensive alternative.

The BJP had repeatedly argued that West Bengal's residents who were left out of Ayushman Bharat were deprived of the scheme's nationwide portability and access to a wide network of empaneled hospitals across the country. However, the Trinamool had maintained that Swasthya Sathi offered wider coverage and accused the center of trying to politicize the delivery of welfare services.

With the change of regime, it is expected that the newly installed BJP government will quickly move to launch Ayushman Bharat in the state and align other welfare measures with central schemes. This development is also being seen as a major political victory for the BJP, which had long tried to establish a "double engine government" in West Bengal as part of its broader expansion strategy in eastern India.