Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said MLAs have been told to help people acquire Ayushman cards in their respective constituencies. Gupta’s remarks came after a high level meeting with ministers in the Delhi Secretariat to accelerate Ayushman card distribution.
“We held a meeting today to ensure that all the cards are made and reach the public as soon as possible. At least 169,000 cards have been issued and are now to be distributed. Public representatives have been urged to assist in this distribution, which will be carried out through district-level mechanisms. All the MLAs have been tasked with helping people in their areas get the cards. This step will ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of quality healthcare services…work should start immediately to identify the location of 1,139 Arogya Mandirs to be opened in every corner of Delhi because Delhi has suffered a lot due to the time wasted by the previous governments… We do not want more time to be wasted. Our government will start working on this from today itself…” Gupta said after the meeting.
The Centre’s flagship health care scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), was rolled out in Delhi on April 10. The cards were distributed at Vigyan Bhawan following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Delhi government and the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
The programme provides ₹5 lakh in annual health coverage per family for secondary and tertiary hospital care for economically weaker sections.
Cabinet ministers Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraraj Singh, and Pankaj Singh, MLAs and officials of multiple department such as health were present in the meeting.
“The aim of the meeting was to take the scheme to the grassroots level and ensure that every eligible citizen receives its benefits. The meeting included discussions on various aspects of the scheme such as the distribution of Ayushman Arogya cards, identification of beneficiaries, awareness campaigns, and the decentralised expansion of services,” Gupta said.
Gupta said that the special focus will be on citizens aged 70 years and above, adding that this age group needs healthcare the most. “All public representatives and officers of all concerned departments have been asked to prepare a list of such citizens to ensure they receive benefits on a priority basis. As age increases, so do health complications. The Ayushman Bharat scheme will serve as a great support system for the elderly. Work in this regard has already begun at the district level,” CM said.
Gupta also said that “Vay Vandana Yojana” will soon be implemented in Delhi, benefiting hundreds of thousands of senior citizens. With this approval, all citizens in this age group—regardless of their socio-economic status—will have access to all the benefits under the scheme.
In another major announcement, Gupta said that 1,139 Arogya Mandirs will be established across Delhi, with 14–15 centres in each assembly constituency. These centres will provide general health consultations, awareness, primary care, and preventive medicines.
Gupta has issued directives to all public representatives and district magistrates to immediately identify suitable government sites for these centres within one week and submit the list to the health departments. In addition, nine Critical Care Blocks and in every district one Integrated Public Health Laboratories will also be established in Delhi, the CM’s office said in a statement.
“The previous government wasted considerable time by not implementing this scheme. However, no further delay will be allowed. We are progressing with concrete policies and on-ground implementation. Simultaneously, all departments have been instructed to ensure the rapid execution of the scheme,” Gupta said, referring to Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
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