Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha, more than six years after the scheme was launched nationwide.

The state’s Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY) was also launched on the occasion.

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The previous government was guided by its ego and prevented the health assurance scheme from being implemented in the State despite requests from the Centre.

The previous government was voted out of power as it was not people-friendly. Now people have blessed BJP to rule the State. As it was promised ahead of the polls, the Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched today. Around 3.5 crore people are expected to benefit from these health insurance schemes, Union Minister Nadda said while speaking on the occasion.

Around 3.5 crore people from 1.03 crore families in the state will benefit from the Ayushman Bharat and GJAY schemes. Beneficiaries will receive free, cashless treatment at 29,000 empanelled private and government hospitals across the country. Previously, this facility was limited to only 900 hospitals.

Under the Ayushman Vayo-Vandana Yojana, all persons aged 70 years and above, regardless of income, will be eligible for coverage. Each family will receive health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh, with an additional Rs 5 lakh allocated to female beneficiaries within the family.

If the family includes a member aged 70 or above, the total health coverage will be increased to Rs 15 lakh. Last month, the state cabinet approved a budgetary allocation of Rs 27,019 crore for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and GJAY for a period of five years.

It may be recalled here that the previous government had launched Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) on August 15, 2018, a month prior to the nation-wide launch of Ayushman Bharat. However the then BJD-led government which was unseated from power in the 2024 election had flatly refused to implement AB-PMJAY by reiterating that BSKY was a better and people-friendly scheme.

The previous BJD Government’s refusal to implement the centre’s flagship health insurance coverage scheme had provided the BJP a plank in the 2024 polls.

The previous BJD government’s flagship health assurance scheme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), renamed as Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY) by the Mohan Majhi-led BJP Government, was also officially launched by the Union Health Minister Nadda on Friday.