Cuttack, Apr 11 (UNI): Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY), the Gopabandhu Arogya Yojana (GJAY), and the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana (AVVY) at the historic Bali Yatra ground. The schemes are expected to benefit over 3.52 crore people in Odisha.
Launching the country’s largest health scheme, Nadda said it was a historic day for the people of Odisha, as the promise made during the 2024 elections to implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the state had been fulfilled by the newly formed BJP government.
Describing the initiative as one of the largest healthcare schemes in the world, Nadda clarified that it is an assurance scheme, not an insurance scheme.
Under this model, doctors in over 30,000 hospitals across the country will decide the necessary treatment and medicines for patients, rather than insurance companies.
The Union Health Minister stated that approximately 61 crore people, including 36 lakh Anganwadi and ASHA workers, are covered under the scheme. He added that health coverage of Rs. 5 lakh has now been extended to individuals above the age of 70.
In Odisha, around 3.51 crore people out of a total 4.5 crore population are now enrolled in the scheme. Since its national launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2018, the scheme has provided treatment to nearly 8.9 crore people across India.
Nadda remarked that the people of Odisha had previously been deprived of the benefits of the scheme because the Naveen Patnaik-led government was reluctant to implement it, fearing that the credit would go to Prime Minister Modi.
Now, with the scheme’s implementation in Odisha, many Odia individuals working in cities like Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengaluru, and other states will also benefit, he said.
Nadda noted that only three states—Odisha, West Bengal, and Delhi—initially refused to implement the scheme when it was launched.
However, the people of Odisha and Delhi responded democratically by electing “double engine” governments, enabling the scheme’s implementation in both states, leaving only West Bengal.
He also issued a stern message to the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal, stating that “the time has come for the lotus to bloom” in the state, and that Ayushman Bharat will soon be implemented there as well.
Nadda further asserted that “single engine” governments that opposed the scheme have since collapsed, referring to the cases of Odisha and Delhi, where “double engine” BJP governments have now taken over to implement the scheme.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Deputy Chief Ministers K.V. Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling were present at the event.
Approximately 3.51 crore people from 1.08 crore families in Odisha will be covered under the combined scheme, which offers a health cover of Rs.5 lakh per family per annum, with an additional Rs.5 lakh for women members.
Beneficiaries can avail of cashless treatment at more than 29,000 government and private empanelled hospitals across the country. As per the guidelines, each member of a beneficiary family will receive an individual health card.
