Health scheme launch delayed, CM promises rollout in two weeks

Bhubaneswar: The much-anticipated joint health coverage scheme combining the Centre's Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and the state's Gopabandhu Jana Aarogya Yojana (G-JAY) missed its scheduled April 1 launch date in Odisha. Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, speaking at an Odisha Day celebration in Cuttack district on Tuesday, assured that the programme would be implemented within two weeks. The scheme aims to provide healthcare benefits to 3.52 crore residents across 29,000 hospitals statewide.
According to govt sources, the delay is primarily due to the inability to print sufficient health cards for beneficiaries, though other preparatory work was largely completed. The new system will provide individual cards to all family members, unlike the previous Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), which issued one card per family. The individual cards will especially benefit families whose members live in different parts of the country for work or are travelling for various purposes.
"The date for launching the scheme will soon be announced by the govt," health secretary Aswathy S told TOI. Union health minister J P Nadda is expected to launch the initiative in mid-April.
The delay has sparked political controversy, with opposition parties criticising the govt's handling of the rollout. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty pointed out that this marks the second time the BJP govt failed to meet its deadline, referring to their earlier manifesto promise to implement the scheme within 100 days of forming the govt. "They failed both the 100-day deadline and the April 1 date. I doubt they would add any value to BSKY except changing its name," Mohanty said, pointing out that BSKY was changed to G-JAY.
Congress state president Bhakta Charan Das questioned the govt's planning, stating, "If the govt was not sure about April 1, it should not have announced the date in the first place." The chief minister's office previously announced the April 1 launch through a press release on March 12.