Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the people of West Bengal would now begin receiving the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme following the formation of a Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, asserting that the new “double-engine government” would ensure effective implementation of major Central welfare programmes.
In a post on social media platform X, Modi said the welfare of the people of West Bengal remained a top priority for his government and expressed satisfaction that residents of the state would finally be brought under Ayushman Bharat, which he described as the world’s largest healthcare programme providing affordable and quality medical treatment.
“The welfare of my sisters and brothers of West Bengal is supreme,” the Prime Minister said. “I’m very happy that the people of the state will have access to Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest healthcare scheme that ensures top-quality and affordable healthcare. At the same time, the double-engine Government will ensure seamless delivery of key Central schemes,” he added.
The remarks came shortly after the BJP assumed power in West Bengal, ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress and unseating the government led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. During the Assembly election campaign, the BJP had strongly pushed for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and accused the previous TMC administration of preventing the rollout of several centrally sponsored schemes due to political considerations.
Ayushman Bharat, formally known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, offers annual health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family for economically weaker sections requiring secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. Under the previous TMC government, West Bengal had opted out of the scheme and instead continued with its own health insurance initiative, Swasthya Sathi, which the Banerjee administration had promoted as a more comprehensive model.
The BJP had consistently maintained that staying outside Ayushman Bharat denied residents of West Bengal the benefits of nationwide portability and access to a larger network of empanelled hospitals across India. The TMC, however, had defended Swasthya Sathi as a more inclusive programme and accused the Centre of politicising welfare schemes.
With the change in government, the newly formed BJP administration is expected to expedite the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and integrate several other Central welfare initiatives in the state. Political observers view the development as a significant milestone in the BJP’s eastern India expansion strategy and a major achievement in its long-standing push for a “double-engine government” in West Bengal.