Chandigarh, Jan 28 (IANS) BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Wednesday termed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s 'Mukhyamantri Sehat Insurance Scheme' in Punjab as misleading, impractical and entirely publicity driven.

Chugh claimed the biggest and most fundamental failure of the scheme was its rigid package capping, which exposes the Rs 10 lakh health coverage claim as hollow from the very beginning.

“The reality is that the scheme provides actual insurance of only Rs 1 lakh per family, while the remaining Rs 9 lakh is left to the mercy of a debt-ridden state government,” Chugh told the media here.

He questioned where this Rs 9 lakh will come from when the state is already struggling financially.

He further claimed that while the former Chief Minister of Delhi and the AAP's National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his party “are loudly advertising the false Rs 10 lakh claim, they have imposed such harsh capping on even the most serious medical procedures that proper treatment becomes impossible. When treatment caps are fixed so low that complete care for critical illnesses cannot be provided, the Rs 10-lakh promise remains nothing more than a paper claim.”

The BJP leader alleged the scheme has been deliberately designed to either offer incomplete treatment or force patients to pay heavily from their pockets.

Referring to Ayushman Bharat, Chugh said the Central government’s scheme sets a national benchmark by fixing package rates based on the actual cost of treatment. In contrast, the state’s 'Mukhyamantri Sehat Scheme' has imposed extremely low caps on complex procedures like heart surgery, brain surgery and knee replacement, pushing major and credible hospitals away from the scheme and leaving the poor and middle class to suffer.

Chugh said it took the Mann government 48 months just to announce this scheme, and even now the government itself admits it will take several more months to implement.

He alleged the truth is that patients will not get treatment under this scheme, but in an election year, the AAP will use public money only for self-promotion and propaganda.

Raising concerns over Punjab’s deteriorating financial condition, Chugh said the state is already burdened with debt exceeding Rs 4 lakh crore. Over the last four years, the Mann government has added more than Rs 1 lakh crore of fresh debt, and in the current financial year alone Punjab must repay Rs 90,000 crore.

He remarked while the government claims it has no money to pay Dearness Allowance (DA) to its employees, it has ample funds for Kejriwal’s helicopter rides.

Chugh further stated, “If even one per cent of families avail benefits under the scheme, the annual expenditure would reach Rs 6,500 crore, while the budget allocation remains negligible.”

He ended by saying that the real debate is not Rs 5 lakh versus Rs 10 lakh, but the real insurance versus paper promises. While Ayushman Bharat provides genuine, pre-insured protection, the Mukhyamantri Sehat Scheme rests on hollow claims and weak foundations.

--IANS

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