India, Dec. 9 -- The Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana project was launched with the promise of transforming urban healthcare, but the government's recent responses reveal a widening gap between grand announcements and ground reality. Legislators pointed out that despite the official declaration of 1,342 clinics and over 800 wellness centres, only 408 clinics have actually begun operating. The government proudly cites these numbers as progress, but the truth is far simpler: a majority of the facilities exist only on paper.

The administration claims that all functioning centres are operating strictly as per guidelines. Yet in the same breath, it acknowledges that pharmacist posts were never sanctioned and that nurses are distributing me...