New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce the launch of Ayushman Bharat (AB) - National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) on Wednesday, on the occasion of Independence Day, according to sources.
The ambitious AB-NHPS scheme, a pet project of the Prime Minister, aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually. This will benefit more than 10 crore poor families.
The scheme specifically targets poor rural families and identified occupational category of urban workers’ families, and will cover more than 50 crore people.
According to a government official, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will talk about the scheme in his Independence Day speech and is likely to announce its launch on a pilot basis in some states tomorrow”.
As per the official, as many as 22 states have preferred to run the scheme on ‘test model’.
The Centre has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for the project, making it the world’s largest healthcare insurance programme.