KCR links Telangana's Arogyasri scheme to govt's Ayushman Bharat after opposing for 2 yrs

The TRS government in Telangana which was hitherto opposed the implementation of the Centre's Ayushman Bharat in the state has decided to link its Arogyasri Scheme with the flagship universal health insurance scheme of the BJP-led NDA government. As per the official release of his office, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao "has taken a decision to dovetail Arogyasri Scheme of Telangana state government with Ayushman Bharat scheme."

KCR's government's decision has come as a surprise because for two years his government had emphasized that his state's Arogyasri scheme is comprehensive and better than Ayushman Bharat, even as the BJP criticized the TRS for not implementing Ayushman Bharat. The move came after PM Modi on Wednesday held a video conference with Chief Secretaries of all the states and reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Manthri Jan Aarogya Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission, among others.

Reacting to the TRS government's decision on Ayushman Bharat, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar demanded an apology from Rao for not implementing the scheme in the past two years. "Several people suffered and died due to non- implementation of Ayushmann Bharat in the state," he claimed in a statement.

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Anti-BJP front of KCR

Just ahead of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Council elections, CM K Chandrashekhar Rao called a meeting of non-BJP leaders and parties. His office said that invites have been sent to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee, JDS chief Kumaraswamy, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prakash Singh Badal, BJD's Naveen Patnaik and DMK's Stalin. However, after the TRS won maximum wards in GHMC, the idea of an anti-BJP front was not raised. 

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