New Delhi: BJP MPs from the state Monday appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to implement the welfare scheme of the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Odisha for the betterment of people.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, the saffron MPs said that the scheme would benefit over 60 lakh people in the state. The MPs further said the health scheme allows nationwide portability through which Odisha’s beneficiaries, especially a large number of needy migrant workers, can avail healthcare facilities anywhere in the country.
“Odisha will also gain access to the latest technological, fraud-control and analytical platforms developed by NHA without any financial burden and immensely benefit from benchmarking of best practices across India,” the MPs stated in the letter.
The BJP legislatures also mentioned that the Prime Minister during his several visits to the state has sought the state government’s support in enrolling Odisha for reaping the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat program. They also assured that the state government would not face the financial burden of the scheme and they will ensure the funding by the Union government.
“In order to keep the spirit of our co-operative federalism at the helm of democracy, we feel privileged to request you to adopt and implement the AB-PMJAY scheme across Odisha,” said MPs.
It is to be mentioned here that the AB-PMJAY scheme provides Rs 5 lakh healthcare cover to every BPL family. The state government has, however, introduced a rival programme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) under which it gives away benefits up to Rs 5 lakhs and Rs 7 lakhs for women beneficiaries.
