Shimla, March 27 -- Flagging irregularities in the Himcare scheme, the Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said that the government is planning to launch a new insurance-based model in its place. Mukhya Mantri Himachal Health Care Scheme (HIMCARE) was launched in state in January 2019. Under the scheme, eligible people can avail cashless treatment coverage of up to Rs.5 lakh per year per family in empanelled hospitals. "Himcare scheme in its current form will be discontinued and replaced with a new insurance-based model," informed CM Sukhu. CM clarified that under the insurance-based scheme, beneficiaries will be issued a card and will be able to get their treatment done through that. This comes a day after CM Sukhu, during a reply to discussion on a debate in assembly, announced a vigilance probe into alleged irregularities in the Himcare scheme. The CM informed the House that an audit had detected irregularities of about Rs.100 crore out of a total expenditure of nearly Rs.1,100 crore under the scheme. He said a vigilance inquiry has been initiated and the report will be presented in the Assembly. Criticising the earlier implementation of the Himcare scheme, Sukhu had said funds were routed through Rogi Kalyan Samitis without proper audit mechanisms. Private hospital empanelment has also been withdrawn except for limited services like dialysis. He assured that the probe report will be placed before the House. Responding the CM Sukhu' statement, former CM and leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur asserted that for the CM to label Himcare-as a "scam" is nothing but "acts of political vendetta". "With three years of their tenure elapsed and nothing to show for it other than their own failures, government is now conspiring to dismantle the very schemes that have given people a new lease on life," said Jai Ram, accusing the Congress government of engaging in "acts of political vendetta" by shutting down schemes that transformed people's lives, the people of the state will not forgive them. "It was during our government's tenure that over 5,50,000 people received medical treatment under the Himcare and Ayushman schemes, incurring an expenditure of over Rs.500 crore," said former CM. He added, "The CM failed to disclose the total outstanding dues under the Himcare scheme-dues that are currently preventing people from accessing medical treatment. The reality is that, immediately upon assuming office, the Sukhu government issued a directive restricting Himcare beneficiaries to receiving treatment exclusively at government hospitals."...