The BJP government in West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday announced that Ayushman Bharat health cards would begin being issued in the state from July. The move marks West Bengal’s return to the Centre’s flagship health insurance programme nearly seven years after the previous All India Trinamool Congress government under Mamata Banerjee withdrew from the scheme.
The announcement followed a virtual meeting held between Suvendu Adhikari and Union Health Minister JP Nadda.
According to Adhikari, nearly six crore beneficiaries currently covered under the state-run Swasthya Sathi programme will now be brought under the Ayushman Bharat framework.
He stated that the decision would not only benefit residents living within West Bengal but also provide health insurance support to people from the state who are employed or residing in other parts of the country.
Ayushman Bharat was originally introduced in West Bengal on September 23, 2018, shortly after the Centre launched the nationwide health scheme. However, the then TMC government withdrew from the programme on January 10, 2019, opting instead to prioritise its own Swasthya Sathi healthcare initiative.
At the time, major political disagreements had emerged between the Centre and the state government regarding branding, implementation, and credit-sharing associated with the scheme. The Trinamool Congress had accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to politically appropriate welfare programmes, while the Centre criticised the state for blocking national healthcare benefits.
As part of the renewed implementation effort, Adhikari said the central government has earmarked a share of Rs 976 crore for Ayushman Bharat operations in West Bengal.
He also claimed that funds allocated to the state over the previous two years, which were allegedly not accepted by the earlier government, would now be reimbursed under the BJP administration.
Alongside the Ayushman Bharat rollout, the Chief Minister announced a broader package of healthcare expansion measures aimed at strengthening public health infrastructure and services across the state.
According to Adhikari, the Centre will supply more than seven lakh vaccine doses to West Bengal as part of an upcoming immunisation programme. The vaccination initiative is scheduled to begin on May 30 from Bidhannagar Hospital in Kolkata.
The government also announced that a statewide campaign to make West Bengal tuberculosis-free would soon be launched, aligning the state with anti-TB programmes already operational in several other regions of India.
In another major healthcare expansion initiative, the state government plans to send a proposal to the Centre seeking approval for the establishment of 468 Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras across West Bengal.
Adhikari stated that these government-supported medical stores would provide medicines at discounts ranging from 70 to 80 percent, thereby reducing healthcare expenses for ordinary citizens and lowering out-of-pocket treatment costs.
The Chief Minister further said that the government would focus on improving child healthcare outcomes in seven districts where mortality rates among children below the age of five remain particularly high.
According to him, recruitment processes for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel are expected to be completed within the next three months. The state government aims to increase overall health coverage levels from the current 53 percent to at least 98 percent in the coming period.
Under the National Health Mission, West Bengal has reportedly been allocated Rs 2,103 crore, of which Rs 500 crore has already been released, Adhikari stated during the announcement.
The implementation of Ayushman Bharat was a major political issue during the recent West Bengal Assembly elections. Throughout the campaign, BJP leaders repeatedly accused Mamata Banerjee and the TMC government of blocking central welfare schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, for political reasons.
The BJP had promised that if elected to power, it would immediately restore the implementation of all major central schemes in the state.
The saffron party eventually achieved a historic breakthrough by ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal. The BJP won 208 out of 294 Assembly seats and formed the government in the state for the first time, while the Trinamool Congress saw its tally reduced to 80 seats.
The decision to reintroduce Ayushman Bharat is therefore being viewed not only as a major healthcare policy shift but also as one of the BJP government’s most significant political and administrative moves since assuming power in West Bengal.
