 "Cong promises Rs 25 lakh health cover with 'Jeevan Raksha Yojana' for Delhi")
A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections, the Congress party announced a significant promise to voters: A health insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh under its proposed ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ if it forms the government.
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot termed the scheme a potential ‘game-changer’.
Speaking at the announcement, Gehlot said, “Delhi Congress has decided to include the ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ in its manifesto for the upcoming elections. Under this scheme, health insurance coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh will be provided. A similar initiative was launched in Rajasthan, offering free treatment up to Rs 25 lakh for all residents, with no mandatory conditions or restrictions, ensuring inclusivity.”
He said, the ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ would operate along the lines of Rajasthan’s Chiranjeevi Yojana. “We have made the ‘Right to Health’ Act in Rajasthan. In which, rights were given to the public and this Act was implemented in all the hospitals. This was a revolutionary scheme in Rajasthan... Jeevan Raksha Yojana will be a game changer scheme for Delhi and we have to spread its information to the public,” Gehlot said.
This health insurance scheme is Congress’s second major promise for Delhi. Earlier, the party had announced the ‘Pyaari Didi Yojana’, which would provide a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 to women. The Congress has assured that both schemes will be prioritised if it comes to power.
On Tuesday, the ECI declared that the Delhi Assembly elections would take place on February 5, with results to be announced on February 8.
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The elections are expected to be a three-way contest between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress. For the Congress, welfare-focused promises like the ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ and ‘Pyaari Didi Yojana’ are seen as critical to its revival in the national capital.
Congress party leaders have also accused the AAP of discontinuing key welfare programmes introduced during Sheila Dikshit’s tenure, claiming that this has hindered the city’s progress.
Delhi Assembly elections 2025
Date of issue of gazette notification: January 10
Last date of nominations: January 17
Date for scrutiny of nominations: January 18
Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: January 20
Date of poll: February 5
Date of counting: February 8
Date before which election shall be completed: February 10
[With agency inputs]