When political fanaticism makes administrators reject beneficial projects

The Ayushman Health Insurance Scheme, introduced by the Narendra Modi government for those who have completed 70 years of age, respectfully acknowledged as senior citizens, has come into effect. The data collection of senior citizens and the steps to be taken regarding the implementation of the scheme are yet to come out. However, the Prime Minister announced the other day that this innovative healthcare scheme has been officially launched. Every man and woman in the country who has completed 70 years of age can join the scheme and get medical benefits. There are only simple procedures. One can be a part of the scheme once they provide their Aadhaar details and get the registration done. Those who are currently members of any other insurance scheme will also be covered under the Ayushman scheme. The scheme offers free treatment worth Rs 5 lakh a year.

The elderly people are suffering a lot today in the evening of their lives to keep themselves alive. Millions of senior citizens curse their lives with no near and dear ones to look after, care for, or provide treatment for their illnesses as they get older. Health care is an extreme liability for poor and middle-class families whose family income is barely sufficient for food and their children's education. That's where the Centre's compassionate touch of Ayushman Health Scheme is going to be a blessing for senior citizens. There are a lot of people here who can discredit any good people-friendly project for narrow political reasons and turn their backs on them. The Trinamool government in West Bengal and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi have taken such a negative approach towards the Ayushman health scheme.

Prime Minister, in his speech dedicating the project to the nation, sharply criticised the administrators of these two states for good solid reason. The Prime Minister had accused the Bengal and Delhi administrations of sabotaging the medical care that was supposed to be available to senior citizens in both these states. The scheme, which is supposed to benefit more than six crore elderly people, has been reduced to 4.5 crore people with the absence of Bengal and Delhi. This is a testimony to the anti-Centre attitude of politically blind leaders. Similarly, many good schemes which are supposed to be useful to the people and the society in general are being snatched away from the people by political propaganda. How can denying benefits by playing politics be justified when the elderly are suffering from the disease and have no access to treatment?

The administrations, who should have tried to make the benefit of the scheme to reach the people at any cost, are struggling to undermine the project in the name of anti-Centre sentiments. Rejecting the scheme only because it belongs to the Centre, instead of accepting the scheme with open arms as a treatment scheme that does not cause any loss to the states in particular, is a great cruelty to poor patients and their families. They should not have forgotten that the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Delhi through several people's schemes. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee too came to power continuously by standing with the poor and the common man. Their negative stand that they don't need Ayushman medical coverage shows how far political fanaticism has held them all back.