'Petty politics' delaying rollout of key govt policies, says Goyal

Govt could have achieved much more in welfare with swift implementation, says minister

- Ravi Dutta Mishra

Petty politics have delayed the implementation of many crucial central government policies, such as the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and foodgrain distribution programme in certain key regions of the country, Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said at the India Public Policy Summit hosted by Mint.

“In many instances, the prevalence of petty politics hampers the swift implementation of public programmes that are meant for the welfare of the citizens. We could have achieved much more in these areas. For instance, Ayushman Bharat has not been fully implemented in some states," he said.

The Supreme Court, in 2020, had issued a notice to Odisha, Telangana, Delhi, and West Bengal governments on a petition claiming non-implementation of the Centre’s healthcare initiative in the three states and union territory.

The petitioners claimed that while a majority of states in India have implemented the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, residents of Telangana, Delhi, West Bengal and Odisha are being denied of the health insurance benefits provided by the Union of India by the respective state governments in contravention of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.