KCR had visited Prime Minister Modi and Union Interior Minister Amit Shah this month (archive)
Hyderabad:
The K Chandrashekar Rao government of Telangana has taken another 180 degree turn with its decision to match the Aarogyasri state health plan with Aayushman Bharat.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar informed the prime minister during a video conference with all high-level state bureaucrats that the Telangana prime minister had made a decision to that effect.
Telangana was one of five states that had refused to implement the central government’s flagship health scheme when it was launched in September 2018.
The state, along with Odisha, Delhi, Kerala and Punjab, claimed that its own health plan was better and that it would not implement the core program until its concerns were addressed.
Aarogyasri, Telangana said, covers 70 percent of the state’s population, while Ayushman Bharat will only benefit 80 lakh people.
However, it was speculated that at the time, just before the state elections, the Rao government was unwilling to allow the Central Scheme, believing it would give the BJP an advantage.
However, his current decision to fit Aarogyasri was the second time in the same month that the Chief Minister reversed a decision. His party had supported the all-India bandh on December 8 against agricultural laws and his ministers even sat in protests blocking roads. But apparently he has had no doubts.
The prime minister has announced that village shopping will stop starting this season. Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy has said that farm laws should have a chance to run for at least a couple of seasons to know their impact.
Rao had visited Delhi earlier this month when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Interior Minister Amit Shah, prompting speculation about his party’s closeness to the BJP. Rao has always maintained that his party is not aligned and, before last year’s general elections, he tried to form a Third Front.
Former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir criticized the state government for the decision.
“CM KCR first enacted the drama of opposing the new farm laws of the BJP government and even supported the call for closure given by farmers organizations. Then it took a U-turn and announced its support for the controversial farm laws. KCR also took a U- about Ayushman Bharat Yojana’s implementation in Telangana that he had previously opposed on the pretext that Aarogyasri was more complete and better. Therefore, instead of acting out the rivalry dramas to fool people, KCR should officially merge TRS with the BJP, “he said. said.
Before the municipal elections, KCR had said in the second week of December that it would reactivate efforts for a Third Front and even organize a meeting of leaders, but after the local body elections, in which the BJP made important progress, the Prime Minister has failed to make any effort in that direction.
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