In a landmarlk decision, the Central governemnt annouced that senior citizens who are above 70 years of age will get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana. After the Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Centre decided to cover senior citizens who are more than 70 years old under universal health coverage, Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
"This is a very big decision. There is a great humanitarian thinking in this decision. They will get the facility of free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh and this will cover about 4.5 crore families in the country, which will include about 6 crore senior citizens," he said.
The senior citizens above 70 years of age, who are already getting benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), and Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) can either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PMJAY.
Now it is clear after the Cabinet meeting that senior citizens of 70 years and above who are under private health insurance policies or Employees' State Insurance Scheme will be eligible to avail benefits under AB PM-JAY.
PM E-Drive scheme launched
Ashwini Vaishnaw further said that a big decision has been taken regarding pollution and sustainable development. "PM E-Drive, it is a programme of Rs 10,900 crore... Today, we have launched the PM E-Drive scheme, in which two wheelers, three wheelers, trucks, ambulances and e-buses will be covered," he said.
Cabinet approves 'Mission Mausam'
He said the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved ‘Mission Mausam' with an outlay of Rs.2,000 crore over two years.
"Mission Mausam, to be chiefly implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is envisaged to be a multi-faceted and transformative initiative to tremendously boost India's weather and climate-related science, research, and services. It will help to better equip stakeholders, including citizens and last-mile users, in tackling extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change. The ambitious program will help broaden capacity and resilience across communities, sectors, and ecosystems in the long run," he said.
Infrastructure for Hydro Electric Projects cleared
The Union Minister further stated that the Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power for modification of the scheme of budgetary support for the cost of Enabling Infrastructure for Hydro Electric Projects (HEP) with a total outlay of Rs.12461 crore. The scheme would be implemented from FY 2024-25 to FY 2031-32, he stated.
