Central govt yet to release ₹250 cr, Punjab tells HC

The Punjab government has said that the Centre is yet to release ₹250 crore as its share under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The government has also told the court that only 46 crore is pending amount which is to be paid to the hospitals.

The Punjab government has said that the Centre is yet to release ₹250 crore as its share under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The government has also told the court that only 46 crore is pending amount which is to be paid to the hospitals.

The government response came to a plea in which it was claimed that ₹ ₹500 crore pending dues of private hospitals in the state have not been paid since December 2022 (HT File)

The government response came to a plea in which it was claimed that ₹ ₹500 crore pending dues of private hospitals in the state have not been paid since December 2022.

In September, the high court had ordered the attaching of the salary of four top officers related to health, including the state’s health secretary, and had also sought details of funds it got from the Centre and disbursal of the same to hospitals. It had also sought spending by the government on advertisements and welfare schemes such as free electricity, the Atta Dal scheme etc. as against the budgetary allocation, which have not be given as of now.

The central government counsel had claimed that its share worth ₹ ₹355.48 crore up to 2023- 24 has been given. But has been also misutilised by the state.

As per the affidavit of Kumar Rahul, secretary, department of health and family welfare the state has neither misutilised nor withheld the funds of the Central government. “Whatever funds have been received from any source the same have been utilised to settle the claims under the scheme,” the affidavit said.

The affidavit claims the state has not only paid its share but also of the Centre to avoid any impediment in the proper implementation of the scheme. It further said that even the hospitals have misled the court. From December 2021 to up to September 24, around ₹155 crore stands paid and only ₹46 crore is pending which will be released after settlement of claims following due verification. Under the scheme for which up to ₹5 lakh insurance per family is paid, 772 hospitals are empanelled. The Centre contributes 60% for 16.55 lakh (socio economic caste census / BPLfamilies) beneficiaries, whereas for the rest of the categories Punjab bears 100% expenditure, it said, adding that in the private hospital category, between December 2021 and September 24, 2024, as many as 6.5 lakh claims worth ₹784 crore were filed out of which 5.4 lakh claims amounting ₹535 crore have been paid and claims worth ₹191 crore are under process.

It further said that in the case of 216 public hospital, 5.7 lakh claims of ₹831 crore were made out of which 4.49 lakh claims of ₹612 crore have been paid and claims worth ₹169 crore are under process.

As of SECC category for which Centre contributes 60%, the claims of both the category were of ₹584 crore with central share of ₹350 crore and state’s share of ₹233 core. Out of this amount, ₹415 crore have been disbursed but Centre’s reimbursement is of only ₹169 crore. The state government has paid ₹246 crore in excess of the amount due towards the state. Hence, an amount of ₹181 crore is still pending towards the Centre. Additionally, ₹51 crore admn charges and ₹17 crore pending from before 2021 period—totalling upto ₹250 crore pending dues yet to be cleared by the Centre, the government has said.