Free treatment facilities worth Rs 5 lakh have been launched across the country to cater to senior citizens aged 70 and above. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expanded the scope of the Ayushman Bharat scheme to include senior citizens. However, this plan of the central government does not apply to Delhi. Prime Minister Modi also expressed concern about this.
Now it is reported that all seven BJP MPs in Delhi have filed petitions in the High Court seeking implementation of the plan. In this petition, an order is sought to implement the scheme in Delhi as well.
Expanding the scheme on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I apologize to all senior citizens above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal that I am unable to serve them. The reason is that the Delhi and West Bengal governments did not implement the scheme due to political interests. Sixty million senior citizens across the country will benefit from the scheme.
Under the scheme, senior citizens aged 70 and above will get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per year at hospitals affiliated with the Central Government Medical Scheme. For this, senior citizens have to make “Ayushman Vaya Vandan” card.
The Modi government launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme in 2018. Under this scheme, a poor family can get insurance cover up to Rs 5 lakh. Now the scope of the program has been expanded. Now, senior citizens above 70 years of age will also get separate cover up to Rs 5 lakh per annum.
