Himachal Pradesh ministers have accused the Centre of withholding Ayushman Bharat and other scheme funds. They said the delay has strained the state exchequer and slowed key health infrastructure works.
Himachal Pradesh ministers allege Rs 112 crore Ayushman Bharat dues from Centre (File Photo: ITG)
Shimla,Oct 14, 2026 07:20 IST
Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil and Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on Tuesday alleged that delays in the release of central funds under various schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, had slowed health infrastructure projects in the state.
The ministers claimed that Rs 112 crore due to Himachal Pradesh under Ayushman Bharat for 2021-26 remained unpaid, forcing the state government to spend more from its own resources to ensure patients continued receiving treatment.
They also criticised the BJP, alleging that despite its slogan of a double-engine government, it had made no significant contribution to the state's development during its five-year tenure and was now attempting to obstruct the Congress government's welfare initiatives.
The ministers said Ayushman Bharat is being implemented in Himachal Pradesh with 90 per cent funding from the Centre and 10 per cent from the state. However, they claimed that the Centre had not released Rs 112 crore due to Himachal Pradesh under the scheme for the period from 2021-26.
They said, "Since 2023, during the tenure of the present government, approximately 2.85 lakh people have received treatment, involving expenditure of around Rs 420 crore. The state's financial share for their treatment under Ayushman Bharat is capped at approximately Rs 60 crore as per the 90-10 allocation system."
The ministers added, "However, keeping public welfare as its foremost priority, the state government had mobilised approximately Rs 203 crore from its own resources to meet the additional expenditure. This amounts to approximately four times the actual share of Himachal Pradesh."
They alleged that the BJP was "working against the interests of the state by attempting to obstruct" the effective and positive public welfare initiatives undertaken by the Congress government.
The ministers said, "If the central government has released its pending share under Ayushman Bharat to Himachal Pradesh on time, the nine Critical Care Blocks, 12 district integrated public health laboratories, 38 urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 73 block public health units currently under construction could have been completed on schedule. This would have helped provide healthcare services to the people closer to their homes."
The ministers maintained that pending central funds under Ayushman Bharat had put additional pressure on the state government, which they said had spent more from its own resources while work on several healthcare facilities continued.
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With PTI inputs