Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday launched the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY) aims to provide health coverage of upto Rs Five lakh per family annually, benefitting 15.50 lakh poor and needy families in the state.

He also announced to further expand the scope of the scheme to accommodate additional category of beneficiaries under the scheme including those who were jailed during emergency period and who played an active role during Hindi Andolan.

Khattar said this while addressing a well attended state level function organised at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College at Karnal on Sunday.

Khattar said initially the beneficiaries of eight categories included in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC)- 2011 data would be benefitted under the scheme.

As the economic condition of the people might have changed during these years and they could not become the part of SECC-2011 data, more categories would be added to cover maximum beneficiaries under the scheme.

They will include 5.5 lakh workers who are registered under the Haryana Labour Welfare Board, people belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL), those who were jailed during emergency period between the year 1975-1977 to whom the state government is already giving monthly pension of Rs 10,000, people who played an active role during Hindi Andolan and those who served in the Indian National Army (INA) formed by Subhash Chandra Bose during the second world war.

While expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dedicating the Ayushman Bharat to the people of the country, Khattar said that during the four years, Modi has launched several schemes and programmes focusing on the development of the country and society and to ensure providing all basis facilities to especially those standing last in the queue.

As many as 10 crore families in the country would be benefited under the scheme, he said. The CM said in the recent times the medical treatment especially in the private healthcare institutes has become more costly.

In cases of severe diseases, the people are forced either to sell their belongings or get heavy loans for treatment. The scheme would provide respite to such people as each eligible family would get annual cover of upto Rs Five lakh irrespective of number of people in a family, he added. The CM said that Golden e-Cards would be provided to the beneficiaries of the scheme.