Six months after high-profile rollout, Ayushman Bharat struggles to gain ground in Delhi: Report
New Delhi: Six months after its much-publicised launch in the national capital, the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme is struggling to make an impact.
Despite issuing nearly 5 lakh health cards, only a small percentage of beneficiaries in Delhi have accessed treatment under the scheme. Major private hospitals continue to stay away, citing financial non-viability as a key concern, as reported by The New Indian Express on Monday.
Launched on April 10, the scheme had promised to extend health coverage to Delhi’s poor and vulnerable sections. Senior citizens were among the first to receive Ayushman cards, with the initiative hailed as a significant move toward inclusive healthcare. However, six months on, the ground reality tells a different story.
According to official data cited by TNIE, 4,99,230 cards have been issued so far, but only 9,254 patients have received treatment. Out of over 1,200 private hospitals in Delhi, just 166 have enrolled under the scheme. Officials admit that the lack of participation from large corporate hospitals has significantly limited the scheme’s reach.
“One of the biggest roadblocks has been the reluctance of big hospitals to join. The absence of top-tier facilities has hampered outreach, leaving a large section of poor and vulnerable populations waiting for care,” TNIE quoted an official from the State Health Agency overseeing the programme as saying.
Healthcare experts point to structural and financial shortcomings as reasons for the scheme's slow progress. Many hospitals have raised concerns about unviable treatment package rates and delayed reimbursements.
The Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), representing numerous private hospitals, has urged the government to revise the scheme’s terms. Among its demands is a clause mandating 1% interest on payments delayed beyond 30 days, to promote timely reimbursement and accountability.
Additionally, officials admit that the scheme's limited disease coverage is another hurdle, added the report. Currently, only 136 medical conditions are covered under Ayushman Bharat—far fewer than the number of conditions commonly treated in hospitals.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
