Bhubaneswar, Mar 13 (UNI) The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana will be implemented and launched across Odisha on April 1.

Along with these, the Ayushman Vayabandhana Yojana will also be launched on the same day.

This decision was taken during a meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lok Seva Bhavan.

According to sources from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), programs will be organized at all 1,438 primary health centers across the state to mark the launch of the schemes. A massive awareness campaign will also be initiated to publicize and promote the initiative.

Notably, an agreement was signed between the state government and the National Health Authority in New Delhi on January 13 for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Odisha.

As per the discussions in the meeting, more than 1.03 crore families in the state will benefit from both the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, covering over 3.46 crore individuals.

These two schemes will be implemented jointly under a co-branding initiative in Odisha.

Each beneficiary will be provided with a co-branded card for these two schemes, while beneficiaries of the Vyabandana Yojana will receive a separate special card.

More than 67.80 lakh families will benefit from the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, while over 35.84 lakh families will be covered under the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana.

Additionally, individuals above the age of 70 will be included in the Ayushman Vayabandhana Yojana.

According to available data, Odisha has 23,12,979 people above the age of 70.

Among them, about 17 lakh are already covered under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, allowing for an additional 6 lakh beneficiaries to be included under the new scheme.

This will bring the total number of beneficiaries in the state to 3.52 crore.

Each male beneficiary will be entitled to medical coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh, while each female beneficiary will be eligible for coverage up to Rs 10 lakh.

If a family has members above the age of 70, the maximum medical coverage per family will be Rs 15 lakh.

Beneficiaries will have access to medical facilities in over 29,000 government and registered private hospitals across the country.

The meeting was attended by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, and senior officials from the Health and other concerned Departments.

UNI DP KK