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West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari connected Saturday (May 23, 2026) announced that his authorities has received a authorisation of astir ₹3,000 crore successful the existent fiscal from the Centre for revamping the nationalist healthcare assemblage successful the State, of which ₹500 crore has already been transferred.
Cards for the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat wellness security strategy are apt to beryllium distributed to beneficiaries of the State from July this year, the CM said.
“We person received a authorisation of ₹2,103 crore from the Union Health Ministry for the National Health Mission (NHM) for the existent fiscal year, a 4th of which, ₹500 crore, has already been transferred by the Centre,” Mr. Adhikari said successful a virtual property conscionable from the State secretariat, Nabanna.
The Centre has besides allocated its stock of the ₹976 crore for the Ayushman Bharat strategy for this fiscal, helium said. "In all, we person received a authorisation of implicit ₹3,000 crore, of which we person already received ₹500 crore,” Mr. Adhikari added.
The Chief Minister addressed the media aft helium held an hour-long virtual gathering with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda. Mr. Adhikari said astir six crore holders of the Swasthya Sathi cards issued by the erstwhile Trinamool Congress (TMC) authorities successful Bengal volition beryllium transferred to the ambit of the Ayushman Bharat strategy successful the archetypal phase, and the fig of beneficiaries volition subsequently increase.
Opportunities volition besides beryllium made disposable to caller applicants who did not opt for the Swasthya Sathi cards, helium added. “We are hoping to commencement the organisation of Ayushman Bharat cards from July, the enrolment enactment for which has already begun,” Mr. Adhikari said.
The Chief Minister said that the State is readying to ink an statement with the Centre successful Delhi for inclusion successful the Ayushman Arogya Mandir web successful the archetypal week of June to widen the benefits of Ayushman Bharat to the migrant residents of the State.
“Over 1 crore migrants from Bengal enactment extracurricular the State for enactment oregon acquisition purposes. The agreement, which volition beryllium signed astatine an lawsuit successful the nationalist superior successful the beingness of Ministers and Bureaucrats of some the State and the Centre, volition widen the Ayushman payment to the migrants arsenic well,” Mr. Adhikari.
The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) provides wellness sum of ₹5 lakh per household per twelvemonth for secondary and tertiary attraction hospitalisation. The CM besides announced that the wellness section would ramp up recruitment of doctors, nurses and different healthcare work workers successful State-run wellness centres.
“The recruitment complaint successful this country by the erstwhile authorities was abysmally debased — 53% arsenic against the nationalist complaint of 98%. We volition capable up these positions successful the adjacent 3 months connected a precedence ground by means of a transparent recruitment policy,” helium said.
Mr. Adhikari alleged that the argumentation of non-cooperation and absorption with the Centre, followed by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee government, had led to an all-pervasive ambiance of negativity successful the nationalist healthcare sector, the outgo of which was borne by the wide public.
“The radical of Bengal were deprived of the benefits of Central schemes due to the fact that of the implicit breakdown of government-to-government connection during the erstwhile era. We volition bring astir a landmark alteration successful that sphere and walk connected the benefits to the people,” helium added.
