Ayushman Bharat Eases Healthcare Burden, Says Jairam Thakur

Mandi, September 23: Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the completion of eight years of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), saying the scheme had reduced the financial burden of healthcare on millions of families.

Thakur said the scheme provided annual health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh and had enabled cashless hospitalisation through a nationwide network of empanelled hospitals. Official figures released on the scheme’s eighth anniversary show that AB-PMJAY has funded about 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 2.03 lakh crore through more than 38,000 empanelled hospitals. ([Press Information Bureau][1])

He also highlighted the expansion of the scheme to senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status. The government has estimated that around six crore senior citizens are covered under this expansion. ([Press Information Bureau][2])

Thakur said more than 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs were providing primary healthcare services across the country, with cumulative footfall exceeding 500 crore. ([Press Information Bureau][3])

He also alleged that the Himachal Pradesh government was seeking to discontinue Him Care, the state’s health insurance scheme, and claimed that this could affect healthcare access for beneficiaries.

Later, Thakur chaired meetings with NHAI, PWD and other officials in Mandi to review road and infrastructure works. He directed officials to address difficulties faced by residents due to ongoing construction on the Kiratpur-Manali and Padhar-Mandi routes, including works at Dador Chowk, Nagchala, Mandi-Pandoh, Jhiṛi and other locations. He also reviewed development and disaster-relief works in his Assembly constituency.

If you want, I can also make this into a tighter 180-word newspaper brief or give it a sharper headline.