Rs 400 crore unpaid Ayushman Bharat dues: IMA Haryana threatens strike

The overarching concern, then, is why the union authorities is bent on making the scheme’s operation so unnecessarily contentious when even the logistics are nonetheless shaky. Northeast Indian states and Kerala have already taken concern with the Centre’s insistence since 2023 that the healthcare centres be named ‘Arogya Mandirs’ — in contexts the place a big a part of the inhabitants is Christian and a few have argued this presents a problem to native spiritual beliefs, however extra importantly, the place the identify absolutely should not be any purpose to withhold help. In spite of everything, those most harmed are the residents and never the recalcitrant state governments…

Left unresolved, this non-payment concern may doubtlessly snowball into not only a healthcare disaster for the underprivileged, however additional public discontent — and hand opposition events a brand new whip to flay the state and central governments with.

It stays to be seen whether or not the federal government will be capable to act in time to keep away from such an final result.

But the query stays why the central authorities is so tardy to make good on its guarantees for the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which was expressly designed to supply accessible and reasonably priced healthcare to particularly the economically weak.

Absolutely there ought to have been enough fund allocations beneath the Union Funds for a scheme working since 2018?

In the meantime, the next announcement from the Centre on Republic Day tomtoms the protection achieved by the scheme: