Ayushmann Bharat – Long Live India – Modicare
October 12, 2018By Rashi Agarwal
The Prime Minister of India, Mr Narender Modi, recently announced Ayushman Bharat, which means Long-Life India. It is being hailed as one of the biggest health-insurance schemes in the world. As per this scheme, nearly 10 crore poor and vulnerable families, covering almost 50 crore citizens, will receive health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakhs, without paying any premium themselves.
Mr Modi said “It is essential to ensure that we free the poor of India from the clutches of poverty due to which they cannot afford healthcare.”
People who are eligible to receive benefits under the Ayushman Bharat scheme are as follows:
In Rural areas
1. Households living in only one room with kucha walls and kucha roof.
2. Households with no adult member between age 16 to 59
3. Female headed households with no adult male member between age 16 to 59
4. Households having at least one disabled member and no able-bodied adult member
5. SC/ST households
6. Landless households deriving major part of their income from manual casual labour
7. Households without shelter
8. Destitute/ living on alms
9. Manual scavenger families
10. Primitive tribal groups
11. Legally released bonded labour
In Urban areas:
The following occupational category of workers are automatically included in the list
1. Rag picker
2. Beggar
3. Domestic worker
4. Street vendor/ Cobbler/hawker / Other service provider working on streets
5. Construction worker/ Plumber/ Mason/ Labour/ Painter/ Welder/ Security guard/ Coolie and another head-load worker
6. Sweeper/ Sanitation worker / Mali
7. Home-based worker/ Artisan/ Handicrafts worker / Tailor
8. Transport worker/ Driver/ Conductor/ Helper to drivers and conductors/ Cart puller/ Rickshaw puller
9. Shop worker/ Assistant/ Peon in small establishment/ Helper/Delivery assistant / Attendant/ Waiter
10. Electrician/ Mechanic/ Assembler/ Repair worker
11. Washer-man/ Chowkidar
The scheme was announced by the Prime Minister on September 23, 2018, and will become operational on September 25, 2018, the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was an RSS thinker and co-founder of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the frontrunner of Bharatiya Janata Party.