Kolkata, May 23: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said the state has received sanction of around Rs 3,000 crore from the Centre in the current fiscal for revamping the public healthcare sector, of which Rs 500 crore has already been transferred.
He also said cards under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme are likely to be distributed to beneficiaries in the state from July.
The announcement of fund inflows to the state from the Centre for social welfare schemes stood in contrast to the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee government’s sustained allegations that funds worth around Rs 1 lakh crore remained withheld by the BJP-led Union government.
“We have received a sanction of Rs 2,103 crore from the Union Health Ministry for the National Health Mission (NHM) for the current financial year, a fourth of which, Rs 500 crore, has already been transferred by the Centre,” Adhikari said at a press meet from the state secretariat, Nabanna.
The Centre has also allocated its share of the Rs 976 crore for the Ayushman Bharat scheme for this fiscal, he said.
“In all, we have received a sanction of over Rs 3,000 crore, of which we have already received Rs 500 crore,” Adhikari added.
Bengal cuts Bakrid holiday to one day
The West Bengal government on Saturday issued a notification declaring May 28 as the Id-Ud-Zoha (Bakrid) holiday this year, cancelling the earlier notification issued under the previous Mamata Banerjee-led regime that had declared a two-day holiday on May 26 and May 27. (Agencies)
