West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that her government’s health insurance scheme ‘Swasthya Sathi’ is more inclusive compared to the Centre’s ‘Ayushman Bharat’.
Addressing a public distribution programme in Jalpaiguri as part of her administrative tour in the northern part of the state, Banerjee questioned the relevance and fairness of implementing the central government's health scheme in West Bengal.
"Why should we implement Ayushman Bharat in Bengal? They want us to bear 60 per cent of the cost while the Centre provides only 40 per cent. People who have a fridge, a TV or own a house will not get the benefit of Ayushman Bharat. So, the number (of beneficiaries) would be only about one crore of the 11 crore population in my state," she claimed.
On the other hand, the ‘Swasthya Sathi’ is universal in nature and funded entirely by the state government, she said.
"Our scheme is for everyone. There is no division, no discrimination. We fund it completely, and above all, we do not take any money from the Centre," the chief minister said.
Banerjee is currently on a three-day administrative tour in northern West Bengal, where she is scheduled to attend multiple public events, including welfare distribution programs and administrative meetings.
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