Congress says will provide ₹25L health insurance in Delhi

The party said its scheme will be accessible to all residents in Delhi, regardless of economic status

The Congress on Wednesday said that if voted to power in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, the party will introduce a scheme to provide universal health insurance of up to ₹25 lakh to the Capital’s residents.

The proposed scheme for Delhi will include similar provisions to the Chiranjeevi scheme, providing financial support for any medical expenditures that exceed the ₹25 lakh cap. (HT Photo)

Announcing the initiative, named Jeevan Raksha Yojana, at a press conference at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office, senior party leader Ashok Gehlot said the scheme will be accessible to everyone — regardless of their economic status — and called it a game changer for Delhi.

Giving details of the healthcare scheme, Gehlot said the initiative will be modelled after the Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana in Rajasthan, which was launched during his tenure as chief minister of that state — which initially offered every family free medical treatment of up to ₹5 lakh, with the amount later increased to ₹25 lakh.

“In nearly every state, medical insurance is provided up to ₹5 lakh. However, Rajasthan stands out as it offers a universal insurance scheme of up to ₹25 lakh, regardless of residents’ socio-economic status. The coverage of this scheme has reached 88-90%,” Gehlot stated.

Gehlot explained that the proposed scheme for Delhi will include similar provisions to the Chiranjeevi scheme, providing financial support for any medical expenditures that exceed the ₹25 lakh cap, including major surgeries like organ transplants. He added that the government would cover a patient’s expenses for five days before and 15 days after their hospital admission.

“The unique feature of the scheme is that when a family member needs to be admitted to a hospital, whether public or private, the government will cover expenses starting five days before admission and continuing until 15 days after the patient is discharged for follow-up care,” Gehlot said.

DPCC chief Devendra Yadav, who was also present, said the scheme will cover all government and private hospitals in the Capital.

Neither the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded to queries for comment on the Congress’s announcement.