KC Venugopal highlights flaws in Rajasthan's Ayushman Bharat, MSME aid

Congress's KC Venugopal said the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found major shortcomings in Rajasthan's Ayushman Bharat scheme. He added that banks are not prioritising MSME lending and that scholarships for SC/ST students are delayed by 89 months.

PAC flags shortcomings in Ayushman Bharat, MSME lending in Rajasthan

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) and MP K C Venugopal on Tuesday said the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) discussed three key issues concerning Rajasthan, including alleged shortcomings in the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, lending to small-scale MSMEs and delays in scholarships for SC/ST students. “We discussed 3 important subjects, which pertain to Rajasthan. 1) Ayushman Bharat Scheme - we found out that there are a lot of shortcomings in the scheme and its implementation. 2) Banks - their lending priority to small-scale MSMEs is not happening. MSME should be given maximum priority. 3) We also discussed the most important thing - Scholarship scheme for SC/ST students. It has been completely delayed for 89 months...” Venugopal said.

PAC's Role and State Mechanisms

The Public Accounts Committee examines state expenditure and accounts, including appropriation accounts and reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General, to assess whether public funds have been legally and appropriately utilised.

Rajasthan has dedicated scholarship mechanisms for students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The state's scholarship portal provides for tracking applications, payment sanction and disbursal details, while separate pre-matric scholarship schemes are also operated for SC and ST students.

On MSMEs, Rajasthan operates a dedicated Raj Udyog Mitra platform for micro, small and medium enterprises, including facilities for submitting and tracking queries related to enterprises.

The remarks came amid the PAC's examination of issues concerning the implementation of government schemes and use of public funds in the state.

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