A Right to Information (RTI) reply has revealed that the Arvind Kejriwal-led-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government misled the public about its ‘Delhi Arogya Kosh’ (DAK) scheme.
The RTI query was filed by activist Vivek Pandey in March this year wherein he sought information about the number of patients who received free treatment under the DAK scheme between 2018 and 2024 and the subsequent costs borne by the Delhi government.
On 11th March this year, the RTI revealed that a total of 6,099 patients availed of free treatment under the ‘Delhi Arogya Kosh’ (DAK) scheme between 31st March 2018 to 24th January 2024.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 887 patients (2018-2019), 863 patients (2019-2020), 801 patients (2020-2021), 1084 patients (2021-2022), 1295 patients (2022-2023), and 1169 patients (2023-2024) patients were benefitted from this scheme.
The total number of patients thus comes to about 6099 in the past 6 years. The RTI reply also provided a breakdown of costs incurred by the Delhi government to facilitate the free treatment of 6099 people.
The AAP government has spent a total of ~ ₹66 crores in this process. A total of ₹9.65 crores (2018-2019), ₹8.33 crores (2019-2020), ₹8.63 crores (2020-2021), ₹6.44 crores (2021-2022), ₹11.36 crores (2021-2022), ₹11.92 crores (2022-2023) and ₹10.2 crores (2023-2024) were incurred by the Delhi government under the Delhi Arogya Kosh’ (DAK) scheme.
Interestingly, a report published by The Indian Express on 1st January this year claimed that 1,13,693 people benefitted from the scheme between January and October 2023. It also said that 1,27,785 patients availed of free treatment under DAK in 2022-2023.
The report was based on data sourced from the Delhi government, which stands in complete contrast to the data provided by the Directorate General of Health Services in its RTI reply to Vivek Pandey.
As per the RTI, only 6099 patients have availed of free treatment so far in the past 6 years, which is nowhere close to the 1 lakh figure quoted in The Indian Express report.
It is however interesting to note that the figure of 1295 patients quoted in the RTI reply for 2022-2023 matches with the number of EWS patients who got free financial assistance for the same period (as stated in The Indian Express report). However, it must be made clear that the RTI query made no mention of EWS.
“Please provide the details of total number of patients got free treatment under Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme in between year 2018 to January 2024. (Please provide year wise list),” the RTI query by Vivek Pandey read.
It thus remains unknown how such a large discrepancy exists between the data furnished by the Delhi government in its RTI reply and the data sourced from the Delhi government by The Indian Express.
Interestingly, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia claimed in September 2022 that over 4.3 lakh patients received free healthcare facilities under the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme in the past 5 years (2017-2022).
While the RTI reply received by Vivek Pandey did not have data from 2017, it is safe to conclude that the beneficiaries in the 1000s would not have reached a staggering 4.3 lakh in a span of a year.
Manish Sisodia had also claimed that the Delhi government spent ₹168.4 crores under the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme in the past 5 years (2017-2022). However, data provided by the Directorate General of Health Services in the RTI reply for the period 2018-2024 showed a mere expenditure of ₹66 crores.
Even if we account for the missing data of 2017, the Delhi government is yet to explain the missing trail of a whopping ₹100 crores.
🚨 Shocking Revelation, My RTI exposes Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal misleading claims on Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme
— Dr Vivek Pandey (@Vivekpandey21) April 1, 2024
🎭 Claim: 168 crore spent, benefiting 4.2 lakh patients 🏥
RTI reveals only 6099 beneficiaries & nearly 66 Cr expenditure 💰
🕵️ Where did the remaining funds gone?… pic.twitter.com/o4T0Zq5Lda
The Arvind Kejriwal-led- AAP government must come clean on the discrepancies in data surrounding the Delhi Arogya Scheme, which came into force in 2011.
Delhi govt yet to pay compensation to families of 79 cops who died on Covid duty: RTI
OpIndia has recently reported how an RTI reply revealed that Arvind Kejriwal led-AAP government in Delhi did not pay ₹1 crore compensation to the families of 79 police officials who died in line of COVID-19 duty between 2020-2021.
It must be mentioned that in 2020, the Kejriwal government had announced to compensate the families of healthcare workers, who died in the line of COVID-19 duty., to the tune of ₹1 crore. Later, the Delhi CM expanded the list of beneficiaries to include civil defence personnel, teachers, policemen and firemen.
While arguing before the Delhi High Court, the government had acknowledged that only families of 92 Covid Warriors had been compensated until then. It had even tried to insinuate that the 79 deceased police officials somehow did not die due to COVID-19 duty.
OpIndia had reported in January 2021 how the family of deceased Delhi police constable, Amit Kumar, was not paid any compensation despite the assurance of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in May 2020.
In November 2023, the Delhi High Court directed the AAP government to release ₹1 crore for the kin of the Covid Warrior.
Given that it took more than 3 years for the family of Amit Kumar to receive compensation, it needs to be seen when the Delhi government live upto its promises in case of 79 other police officials who died in line of Covid duty.
