43 BPL families, not 23: Central govt criteria puts health insurance scheme in muddle

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The central government will only provide an annual sum of Rs 180 crore in the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), implemented by combining the Central Government's Ayushman Bharat and Kerala's scheme. The total expenditure of Rs 1400 crore will be borne by the state. Ayushman Bharat is a scheme where 60 per cent is to be borne by the Centre and 40 per cent by the State. 43 lakh people are members of the scheme.

However, the Centre only allocates the premium amount for 23 lakh people in the BPL category. Due to this, the State will be provided with an additional liability.

The central criteria for calculating the number of BPL families messed up the insurance scheme in the state. According to the 2011 census, there were 23 lakh BPL families in the state. This number has increased in the following 15 years. According to the National Food Security Authority, when the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) categories are added, there were 43 lakh BPL families.

Therefore, Kerala demanded that the National Food Security Authority's estimate be accepted and the amount be released. This has not been accepted by the Centre yet. The state initially refused to sign Ayushman Bharat because the list did not include the complete number of BPL families. The central government promised that it would be examined and considered, but it did not happen. The scheme came into effect in the state on April 1, 2019.