Centre gives contradictory figures on Ayushman Bharat funds to Telangana

Union Minister gives two different figures on Ayushman Bharat funds to two questions posed by BJP MP Laxman

Hyderabad: The Centre appears to be not too sure about funds pertaining to the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) with regard to Telangana, if the answers given to the BJP’s own Rajya Sabha member K Laxman is any indication.

Laxman had posed two questions (3136&3137) with regard to funds transferred under AB-PMJAY and State-wise number of the beneficiaries under the scheme during the last five years. In response, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar in his written reply to question number 3137 said the Centre under AB-PMJAY had released Rs.247.17 crore to Telangana and the treatment authorized amount for the State stood at 1984.53 crore.

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Interestingly, in reply to Laxman’s question number 3136, which was also related to AB-PMJAY, the union Minister’s reply said the Centre had released Rs 236.45 crore under AB-PMJAY to Telangana and that the treatment authorized amount was Rs.2012 crore, entirely different from the figures in the answer to the earlier question. The figures given with regard to Authorized hospital admission count under the scheme was 709,497 lakh in both the replies.

Interestingly, Laxman had asked whether it was a fact that funds released under PMJAY was not properly utilised by the Telangana government, to which the union Minister replied that in Telangana, scheme utilization had substantially improved.