Patna: More than 1 core health cards under the ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ were issued in Bihar during a six-day special campaign from March 2, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said. The NDA government in the state has decided to provide “free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year to all ration card holders of the state under the Ayushman scheme”, he said.
The deputy chief minister told PTI,
Issuance of Ayushman Bharat cards to 1.03 crore families in just six days (till 11 am of March 8) is a big achievement of our government in the state.
Deputy CM said,
All ration card holders covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) get 5 kg of rice, and now, they will avail of free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year.
Deputy CM Chaudhary, who holds the health department portfolio said,
At present, around 1.2 crore families in the state are availing of Ayushman Bharat benefits. Now, 1.03 crore families, who are beneficiaries under the NFS Act, have also been added.
Also Read: Transgenders Benefited From Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Scheme: Government
According to data compiled by the state health department, the maximum number of Ayushman Bharat cards at 5,99,609 were issued in Siwan district in the six-day campaign, followed by 5,44,018 in Muzaffarpur, 5,00,292 in Patna and 4,72,977 in Madhubani.
Districts where less than one lakh Ayushman Bharat cards were issued in the special campaign are Munger (99,984), Kishanganj (76,861), Sheikhpura (58,132) and Sheohar (47,288).
The Bihar cabinet headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had, in February, decided to extend the benefit of the Ayushman Bharat scheme to all ration card holders of the state.
Also Read: Over 2.78 Crore Ayushman Cards Created At Health Camps Under Vikshit Bharat Campaign: Government
The ‘Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ is a national public health insurance scheme of the central government, which aims at providing coverage for low-income earners in the country.
It is a centrally sponsored scheme and is jointly funded by both the union government and the states.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
