Shimla, Oct 13 Himachal Pradesh’s Health and Industries ministers on Tuesday claimed that the Centre has not released funds due to the state for several schemes.
In a statement, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil and Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the BJP, which had raised the slogan of a double-engine government, made no significant contribution to Himachal Pradesh’s development during its five-year tenure.
They said that the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is being implemented in Himachal Pradesh, with the central government contributing 90 per cent of the funding and the state government bearing the remaining 10 per cent. However, they said that the Centre has not released Rs. 112 crore due to Himachal Pradesh under the scheme for the period from 2021-26.
“Since 2023, during the tenure of the present government, approximately 2.85 lakh people have received treatment, involving expenditure of around Rs. 420 crore. The state’s financial share for their treatment under Ayushman Bharat is capped at approximately Rs. 60 crore as per the 90-10 allocation system.
“However, keeping public welfare as its foremost priority, the state government had mobilised approximately Rs. 203 crore from its own resources to meet the additional expenditure. This amounts to approximately four times the actual share of Himachal Pradesh,” they said.
The ministers alleged that the BJP is “working against the interests of the state by attempting to obstruct” the effective and positive public welfare initiatives undertaken by the Congress government in the state.
“If the central government has released its pending share under Ayushman Bharat to Himachal Pradesh on time, the nine Critical Care Blocks, 12 district integrated public health laboratories, 38 urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 73 block public health units currently under construction could have been completed on schedule.
“This would have helped provide healthcare services to the people closer to their homes,” they said.
(PTI News)
