Attack on Punjab delegation resonates back home too

Badal prefers picture. Punjab loses grant!

Modi Government has not approved the Punjab government’s request for financial grant of `12.55 crore for ‘108’ ambulances operated under the National Health Mission (NHM) due to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s photos on them. The union health and family welfare ministry, while communicating to the Badal government its approval for the `740-crore state plan, including unspent balance of `181 crore for ongoing projects, for 2015-16 under the NHM on July 17, has kept pending the state government’s request for the replacement and refurbishment of ambulances, besides the operational cost of the 240-strong fleet of the free referral transport service, under the ‘108’ National Ambulance Service. While the NHM has prescribed a colour code, including design and logo, for the National Ambulance Service, emergency ambulances in Punjab have pictures of the chief minister on them. The photos, which do not conform to the programme guidelines, have not gone down well with the Centre, reported media from Chandigarh. Badal’s pictures have been a sticking point between the Centre and the state government since 2012-13 when the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had stopped the release of funds to the state for ambulances. In the previous three years, the state has lost `23 crore central grant due to its CM-photo fixation.