NEW DELHI: After rendering positive rulings in numerous PILs on diverse issues – gender justice, rights of disabled, queer and marginalised, CJI D Y Chandrachud signed off on Friday by entertaining the last PIL in his 25-year-long career that pleaded for including Indian healthcare system in PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
The petitioner was serial PIL litigant advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, whose two petitions were listed one after the other before the bench of CJI and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, the latter two being long-standing bench partners of Justice Chandrachud since the day he took oath as CJI on Nov 8, 2022.
The first one, seeking appointment of Yoga Mitras in schools, was dismissed by the bench saying the court cannot interfere in such issues relating to appointment of yoga instructors in each govt school. However, when the second petition was called out for hearing, Upadhyay did not have to persuade the bench.
The CJI issued notice to Centre, and finding SG Tushar Mehta around, told him to persuade the govt to include the Indian healthcare system – ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy – in the national health protection mission – PM-JAY. The SG promised to take up the matter with the govt.
Upadhyay complained that though Centre, to achieve universal health coverage for economically weaker sections and below poverty line population, launched Ayushman Bharat scheme in conformity with recommendation of National Health Policy, 2017, it excluded ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy from its ambit.
Ayushman Bharat scheme includes health and wellness centres and envisages to convert primary health centres into 1,50,000 health & wellness centres. PM-JAY, launched in Sept 2018, gives health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to 12 crore poor and vulnerable families.
These plans predominantly cover and are limited to allopathic hospitals and dispensaries even though India has a rich heritage and knowledge base of ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, siddha, unani and homeopathy systems of medicine which are effective in addressing certain health issues, the petitioner said.
