WB-MAMATA-LD SCHEME

West Bengal Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday announced that the state is

pulling out of the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme, accusing

the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of "playing dirty

politics" under the garb of the health coverage programme.

A top government official said that the Trinamool

Congress (TMC) government has written to the Centre to notify

about its decision to withdraw from the scheme.

The ambitious Ayushman Bharat or the National Health

Protection Scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi in August last year, aims to cover over 10 crore

poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore

beneficiaries) by providing health cover up to Rs 5 lakh per

family per year.

The expenses incurred is to be shared between the

Centre and the state in 60:40 ratio.

The TMC supremo alleged that the prime minister was

"politicising" the health scheme by sending letters about its

provisions to every household of the state with his picture

and a lotus symbol on top.

The Centre is "using" post offices to dispatch these

letters, she said.

"You (Narendra Modi) are sending letters with your

photograph on them to every household in the state, making

tall claims to take credit for the scheme. Then why should I

bear 40 per cent? The NDA government should take the entire

responsibility," she observed at a programme here.

"I have seen the document with the PM's picture and a

logo resembling BJP's party symbol. You (BJP government) have

already destroyed the banking system with demonetisation and

GST implementation. Now, you are using government money to

campaign for the party," Banerjee said.

According to reports, the Centre is sending out a two

-page customised letter, highlighting the importance of the

Ayushman scheme, to every beneficiary.

"In West Bengal, people do not need to pay for

treatments. At state hospitals, people from Bihar, Jharkhand

and even Nepal and Bangladesh receive free medical assistance.

Then why is that the prime minister of the country is playing

dirty politics?" the CM questioned.

She also accused the Union government of making "false

claims" about crop insurance benefits to the farmers, even as

the state government was bearing 80 per cent of the cost.

Last year, the state has spent Rs 625 crore for the

purpose, Banerjee claimed.

"The Centre is making false claims about bearing crop

insurance cost of farmers. In reality, the Union government

pays just 20 per cent of the incurred cost," the chief

minister said.

Last month, Banerjee directed officials to rename

central schemes, claiming the state was bearing 80 per cent

cost of these programmes "but the Union government was taking

credit for them".

She also said the state government was willing to fund

these schemes entirely.

Banerjee Thursday claimed that the Modi government was

deducting taxes from people's accounts in the state without

doling out adequate benefits to them.

"You are deducting money from people's accounts in

West Bengal and other states as income tax and customs and

using just a percentage of it for their welfare. That is not a

favour. Why is Narendra Modi acting as 'dalaal (agent)? I do

not favour this politics of cheating people," the TMC chief

said.

Questioning the role of the central government, she

also alleged that the Modi government was trying to "run a

parallel government" in all the states, including West Bengal.

"We were elected to power by the people, just like

them. Do they (Centre) consult me when they set up any deal in

the defence sector. Why is that they are interfering in the

state matters? They do not enjoy the rights," she added.