- BJP govt brings Rs 10 lakh health cover to Delhi
- 90+ hospitals enrolled for free treatment
- Kejriwal blocked the scheme for 6 years
In a big move towards better healthcare in the national capital, the newly elected BJP government in Delhi is finally implementing the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). On Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Authority (NHA). Union Health Minister JP Nadda will also attend the event.
Under this scheme, poor and middle-class families in Delhi will receive free health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh from the Central Government. In addition, the Delhi government under BJP will add another Rs 5 lakh as a top-up. This means that each eligible family will get health insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh annually.
Delhi Health Minister on Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi: It has been implemented in UP-Haryana but why are patients being sent from there to here? What will come out of it, if it's implemented in Delhi? Population of Delhi is 2 Cr, 10 Lakh people will benefit. We won't do this. pic.twitter.com/E0DMP9FhZI
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2019
Over 90 Hospitals Ready to Serve Beneficiaries
According to CM Rekha Gupta, 11 central government hospitals, 34 Delhi government hospitals, and 46 private hospitals have already joined the scheme. An awareness campaign will soon be launched across Delhi to inform citizens about the benefits of Ayushman Bharat.
Delhi Health Min on Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi: We'll provide health facility to 100% population here. We won't pick&choose. That isn't needed in Delhi,both poor&rich will receive treatment. It's the responsibility of Delhi govt to provide treatment to all residents of Delhi pic.twitter.com/hqKj652toR
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2019
The Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched in 2018 by the Modi government to provide free healthcare to crores of Indians. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government under Arvind Kejriwal continuously refused to implement it in Delhi.
AAP Wanted to Rename the Scheme for Political Credit
In the beginning, the Kejriwal government demanded that the scheme be renamed as “Mukhya Mantri Aam Aadmi Swasthya Bima Yojana – Ayushman Bharat” to take political credit. When this didn’t happen, AAP decided not to join the scheme at all.
Former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain had claimed that only 10 lakh people in Delhi would benefit, so there was no need for the scheme. But the real impact is much bigger; millions of Delhiites who needed costly treatments were left helpless for years.
PM Modi Showed Concern, AAP Ignored It
In 2021, PM Modi said he was pained that he could not help elderly citizens in Delhi and West Bengal because their governments refused to join Ayushman Bharat. His emotional words showed the seriousness of the issue, but Kejriwal’s government continued to ignore the people’s suffering.
Shockingly, in January 2025, Arvind Kejriwal went so far as to call Ayushman Bharat the “biggest scam,” despite lakhs of people across India benefiting from it. This showed his political mindset, where attacking the central government was more important than helping the poor.
In November 2024, all seven BJP MPs from Delhi had to approach the High Court to force the AAP government to implement the scheme. This step was necessary because the Kejriwal-led government refused to cooperate even after years.
Now that the BJP is in power in Delhi, the situation has changed. The implementation of Ayushman Bharat is a major win for the people of Delhi. This was one of BJP’s key promises before the 2025 Assembly elections, and they have fulfilled it within weeks of taking office.
Ayushman Bharat: Changing Lives Nationwide
So far, more than 5 crore families in India have received treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. It covers hospital expenses, medicines, diagnostics, and even post-treatment care. The scheme is fully digital, cashless, and paperless, making it easy for even the poorest citizens to access healthcare.
While Kejriwal chose politics over people, the BJP government in Delhi has chosen service. With this step, Delhi joins the rest of India in giving its citizens access to free, quality healthcare.
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