The central government, in a letter to West Bengal, has said that more than 60 lakh families would be affected in the state due to chief minister Mamata Banerjee pulling out of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, reported News 18.

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In the letter, the centre reportedly hit out at the state government, saying that West Bengal's Swasthya Sathi scheme covered only 50 lakh families while Ayushman Bharat covered about 1.11 crore families.

Last week, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced discontinuation of the scheme, accusing prime minister of taking undue credit for the scheme, stating that 40 percent of the scheme in the state was covered by the state government.

"They are claiming to have introduced the health care scheme. It's not their money; we are paying 40 percent of it ... so I announce withdrawal form the Ayushman Bharat scheme," she had said.

According to reports, Banerjee decided to discontinue the scheme after finding that the letter sent to the beneficiaries had only Modi's picture

The scheme announced by the central government aims to cover up to Rs 5 lakh to 10 crore families or approximately 50 crore people. It aims to cover pre and post hospitalisation and transport charges.

First Published:Jan 18, 2019 2:30 PM IST