Bhubaneswar, Apr 11: Union Health Minister and BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Odisha.
The health coverage scheme was launched in a special event organized at Bali Jatra ground in Cuttack.
The event was also attended by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling.
As per reports, Odisha government had signed an agreement with the Centre to merge the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) with the state's Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY).
This new combined health scheme will be called as Ayushman Bharat-Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-GJAY).
Around 3.52 crore people from 1.08 crore families in Odisha will be covered under this scheme. Each family will get Rs 5 lakh per year for medical treatment, and an extra Rs 5 lakh will be given for women members.
Eligible beneficiaries can avail cashless treatment at over 29,000 government and private hospitals across the country. Every member of a family will also receive an individual health card.
Additionally, senior citizens over 70 years old will get free treatment under the Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme.
Notably, the BJP-led Central Government started the AB-PMJAY scheme in 2018. But earlier, the BJD government in Odisha had not agreed to implement it, saying their own scheme—Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY)—was better.
After the BJP came to power in Odisha, they renamed BSKY as GJAY and started the process to implement AB-PMJAY in the state.
