New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Delhi Government on Thursday on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by all seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from Delhi. The petition sought directions for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. Next hearing Dec 11 The bench, headed by Chief Justice Manmohan and comprising Justice Manmeet Pritam Arora, has linked the case with other ongoing matters concerning health infrastructure and scheduled the next hearing for December 11, 2024. Bansuri Swaraj, senior advocate and BJP MP, represented all petitioner members of Parliament to argue that the scheme has not been implemented in Delhi, denying the target beneficiaries easy and efficient access to the promised Rs five lakh coverage. This coverage is intended to protect individuals from catastrophic expenses related to secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation at a wide network of empaneled public and private hospitals. Representational image All seven BJP MPs moved HC All seven BJP MPs have recently moved the Delhi High Court, urging the court to direct the Government of NCT of Delhi to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. The plea stated that AB-PMJAY is a centrally sponsored scheme, with the cost of implementation, including administrative expenses, shared between the Central Government and the State/UT Government according to the directives of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Current health scheme Under the current arrangement, the cost-sharing ratio is 60:40 for Union Territories with a legislature, with 40% of the cost borne by the respective Union Territories. The Central Government's contribution is directly deposited into an escrow account maintained by the State Health Authority (SHA) or UT Health Authority, and the joint contribution is then used by the SHA to settle approved claims. As of October 2024, thirty-three (33) States and Union Territories (UTs) have implemented AB-PMJAY, with the State of Odisha also considering its adoption, as reported in the news in September 2024. (with Agency inputs)
