Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: The Bengal administration has begun preparations for the implementation of the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, in the state ahead of the swearing-in of the new BJP govt on Saturday.A high-level meeting was held on Friday to discuss the issue, sources said.Senior officials of the state health department attended the meeting, while officials of the Union health ministry joined through video conference.According to sources, discussions focused on the modalities of implementing the scheme in the state and the process of distributing Ayushman cards among beneficiaries. Other operational issues related to the rollout of this health insurance scheme were also taken up during the meeting.Officials of the state health department recently held a meeting with representatives of the National Health Authority, the apex body responsible for implementing the scheme, sources added.The Centre is also set to release Rs 2,700 crore in pending funds to West Bengal under the Jal Jeevan Mission, a Govt of India scheme to provide tap water to every household.Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in election rallies that if the BJP comes to power in Bengal, the govt will approve the implementation of Ayushman Bharat in the state in its first cabinet meeting, marking a major policy shift after years of resistance from the erstwhile Trinamool Congress govt.The Mamata Banerjee cabinet did not allow the scheme to be implemented in Bengal, as the state already had its own health insurance scheme, Swasthya Sathi.The sources also said that, a meeting regarding the Jal Jeevan Mission will soon be held between the secretary of the state public health engineering department and the secretary of the Union ministry of jal shakti to finalise the process. An MoU between the Centre and the state is expected to be signed shortly, following which the dues will be released. The state govt has already submitted detailed reports to the Centre regarding the pending allocation and the progress made in providing household tap water connections under the scheme.Of the Rs 24,645 crore the state got between 2019-20 and 2023-24 under this scheme, only 53% was utilised.The issue remained a major point of contention between the Centre and the Trinamool govt. The Centre had raised objections over branding and implementation norms under the scheme, alleging that central guidelines were not being followed properly by the state.Though the state later agreed to comply with the norms, the release of funds remained stalled for a long period.
