National Rural Health Mission’s additional secretary-cum-mission director Anuradha Gupta on Monday made it clear that the States are “free” to carry out the national schemes “on their own”, if they want to go ahead with their own strategies to implement the same.
Restraining to comment directly on the burning issue of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s pictures on the 108-ambulance service, Gupta signaled that the States can go ahead with the scheme as per their rules, at the same time making it clear that it would debar them from getting grants for the concerned scheme.
Gupta, giving an overall picture of the 108-ambulance scheme, said: “The scheme, started under the NRHM, has become such a hit across all states that now the Centre wanted to give it a national character as it is a part of national initiative.”
That could be the reason why the Centre, and Union Minister of State for Health Santosh Chaudhary in particular, has all along been pressing upon the state to remove Badal’s pictures from the ambulances.
Gupta clarified that as the states had initially set out the guidelines for the scheme and provided all infrastructure, “they are free to support” the national network. “But, in that case, they would not get funds for the same,” she added.