Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a new health scheme for senior citizens in Delhi ahead of the upcoming assembly election in February.

The AAP Chief announced that elderly citizens over 60 years of age will receive treatment free of cost in both government and private hospitals under the new scheme called Sanjeevani Yojana.  He said that there will be no upper limit on the cost of treatment. He mentioned that registration for the scheme will start in a day or two, and the AAP workers will come to people’s homes for registration, who will give the residents a card. He added that once AAP comes into power after the elections, the policy will be implemented.

His announcement comes after the face-off between the opposition BJP and the ruling AAP over non-implementation of the Centre’s Ayushmaan Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Nearly seven BJP MPs moved the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Delhi government to implement the scheme.

Reportedly, the petitioners Harsh Malhotra, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Praveen Khandelwal, Yogendra Chandolia, Manoj Tiwari, Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj argued that citizens in the capital were facing high out-of-pocket medical expenses due to the non-implementation of the scheme.

Later on November 27, the Delhi High Court sought the Delhi government’s stance on implementing the scheme and said that steps must be taken to iron out the differences within the Delhi administration.

After the high court’s remarks, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi directed the health department to formulate a mechanism to incorporate the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme without withdrawing the benefits of the Delhi government’s free healthcare facilities for the people.

She said that the exclusions under Ayushman Bharat do not align with this system, and that the government does not want to take away free medical care from anyone. Hence, directions have been issued to the Health Department to devise a mechanism that ensures no one in Delhi is deprived of the free healthcare services they currently receive while also incorporating the benefits of Ayushman Bharat, she continued.

Maratha Quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil said today that he would launch an indefinite fast on January 25 to increase pressure on Devendra Fadnavis government to accept the Maratha community’s demands for reservation in jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Manoj Jarange-Patil urged the members of the Maratha community to attend the protest in large numbers. He said that no one should stay at home, and they should come to Antarwali Sarthi (village). He added that they must show their collective strength. However, he mentioned that there will be no compulsion or pressure on anyone.

The Maratha Quota activist accused the state government of cheating and said it failed to fulfil its promises to the Maratha community. He said that the community will not spare the government if they don’t meet their demands during the ongoing winter session.

He further demanded that the state government implement the draft notification that recognises the Kunbis as related by birth or marriage to the Marathas (sage soyare) and grant reservations to the latter under the OBC category.

Manoj Patil also demanded that the state speed up the work undertaken by the Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde Committee. The Mahayuti government formed the committee to expedite the process of granting Kunbi certificates to the Marathas, which makes them eligible for reservations.

Furthermore, the 42-year-old activist, stressed on the same demand, went on six hunger strikes last year. Notably, in February 2024, the Mahayuti government unanimously passed a bill providing 10% reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category.

Nonetheless, Jarange has been insisting on a quota for the community under the OBC head. The agrarian Kunbi community already receives quota benefits under the OBC category.

Previously, before voting in the Maharashtra assembly election, Patil withdrew his list of candidates and decided to support the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) against the Mahayuti alliance.

He  withdrew from the fray as he had not received a response from smaller allies representing castes like the Dalits and Muslims. He had been banking on them to field candidates as part of his plan. Additionally, he also said that he had realised that no election could be fought in the name of a single caste.

PM Narendra Modi today alleged that the Congress neither promoted farmers welfare nor allowed anyone to do the same. The Prime Minister was addressing an event named Ek Varsh-Parinaam Utkarsh in Jaipur to mark a year of the BJP forming the government in Rajasthan.

PM Narendra Modi also alleged that the Congress promoted river water disputes between states and cited the alleged delay in completing the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) as the direct proof of the party’s intention.

Addressing a public meeting at Dadiya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Congress never wants to reduce water problems. He added that the water of the rivers used to flow across the borders, but the farmers did not get its benefits. Instead of finding a solution, the Congress continued to promote water disputes between states, the Prime Minister said.

He further claimed that the Congress talks big in the name of farmers but neither do they do anything for the farmers themselves, nor do they let others do it. He maintained that his party intends to promote dialogue between the states, unlike the Congress.

He added that they believe in cooperation, not opposition, and in solutions, not disruption. Therefore, their government has approved and also expanded the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, he stated. The Prime Minister also mentioned that as soon as the BJP government was formed in MP and Rajasthan, an agreement was reached on the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal project.

Narendra Modi also reflected on the Sardar Sarovar Dam project in Gujarat and accused the Congress and some non-governmental organisations of adopting various tactics to stop the project. He added that the Congress never wants to reduce water problems, underlining that the water of the rivers used to flow across the borders, but the farmers did not get its benefits.

At the event, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for 24 projects related to energy, road, railways and water worth more than Rs 46,400 crore. He also said that the Pravati, Kalisindh, and Chambal project will provide irrigation and drinking water facilities to 21 districts of the state, and also accelerate the development of bordering regions in Madhya Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reflected on the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha election and said the mandate to the NDA for a third consecutive term was historic. He further appreciated chief minister Bajan Lal Sharma for laying a strong foundation for the state’s development.