New name for Modicare and more about Ayushman Bharat; likely rollout on Independence Day

Ayushman Bharat rollout: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce the launch of Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPS), or Modicare, on a pilot basis in some states on Independence Day tomorrow.

The nationwide launch is expected in September end. The ambitious scheme aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for over 10 crore poor families of the country.

Reports say the scheme would be initially launched for six states. Sources told Business-Standard that PM Modi would likely launch the scheme on I-Day for six states - Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Haryana, Gujarat, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh -  that are on board for the pilot for the ambitious scheme. The business daily also reported today that the Ayushman Bharat-NHPS scheme is tipped to undergo a name change and be called PRAJAA - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan. The report, however, didn't confirm whether a decision in this regard has been taken or not. 

Modicare will target poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational category of urban workers' families - around 8.03 crore rural families and 2.33 crore in urban areas, as per the latest SECC data. Overall, the ambitious scheme will provide health cover to around 50 crore people.

What is Modicare and how it will benefit you

A government official told PTI, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will talk about the scheme in his Independence Day speech and is also likely to announce its launch on a pilot basis in some states tomorrow."

States like Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi are yet to come on board Ayushman Bharat-NHPS, which Odisha has refused to become a part of the scheme, the official said, adding 22 states have preferred to run the scheme on "trust model". 

Said to be the world's largest government-funded healthcare insurance programme, the Union government has allocated about Rs 10,000 crore for it. The funds are yet to be released to the states. 

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The Union government has identified 80 per cent rural and urban beneficiaries on the basis of the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC).