PM Modi Cabinet Meeting: A cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi. In this, six such decisions were taken which are being seen as game changers for the future.
PM Modi Cabinet Meeting: A cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi. In this, six such decisions were taken which are being seen as game changers for the future.
Before the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had announced that if they got a chance to form the government, the Ayushman scheme would be expanded. On Wednesday, in a cabinet meeting led by PM Narendra Modi, it was decided to implement it. Not only this, a total of six such decisions were taken which will prove to be a milestone in the future. Let's take a look at these decisions and their meanings:
1. Ayushman Bharat Yojana
A big decision has been taken for the elderly in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the decision of the Modi cabinet, all the elderly above 70 years of age will be given the benefit of 'Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana'. Which has been announced. All senior citizens of 70 years and above will get the benefit of this scheme.
Now the central government has abolished the age limit for this scheme and has decided to provide health facility of up to 5 lakhs under Ayushman Yojana to every senior citizen above 70 years of age. There will be no income limit in this. That is, all senior citizens of 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status, will be eligible to avail the benefits of this scheme.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told the media, "PM Narendra Modi had committed that all senior citizens above the age of 70 years will be given coverage under Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana. There are many families which are already covered in it and have senior citizens. In such families, additional top-up coverage will be Rs 5 lakh." The aim of expanding this facility is to benefit about 4.5 crore such families, which include 6 crore senior citizens. They will get free health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family.
In 2017, the Modi government started this scheme under the National Health Policy. Under this scheme, free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh can be availed in designated government and private hospitals across the country after being covered under this scheme. There is also a provision to pay medical expenses 10 days before and after hospitalization under this scheme. However, there are some states that have refused to implement this scheme and the state government is running its own scheme there.
2. Approval to 'Mission Mausam'
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved 'Mission Mausam'. The aim of this mission is to enhance the country's ability to predict and deal with extreme weather events and the effects of climate change. This mission with a budget of Rs 2,000 crore for two years will be implemented mainly by three major institutions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences - the Indian Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
The mission is envisaged to be a multi-faceted and transformational initiative to provide a huge boost to India's meteorological and climate-related science, research and services. It includes information on meteorological measures, capacity building and awareness generation for monsoon, air quality, extreme weather events, cyclones and management of fog, hailstorms and rain.
The key elements of 'Mission Mausam' will include deployment of next-generation radar and satellite systems with advanced sensors and high-performance supercomputers, development of improved earth system models and Geographic Information System (GIS)-based automated decision support systems for real-time data dissemination, the Union Cabinet said in a statement.
This mission will benefit many sectors including agriculture, disaster management, defence, aviation, energy, water resources and tourism. It will also improve decision-making capacity in areas like urban planning, transport and environmental monitoring. The Union Cabinet said that this multi-faceted and transformative initiative will give a tremendous boost to India's weather and climate science, research and services.
3. Hydropower project approval
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the revised scheme of budgetary support for the cost of enabling infrastructure for hydropower projects (HEPs) with a total outlay of Rs 12,461 crore. The revised scheme of the Ministry of Power for a generation capacity of about 31,350 MW will be implemented from FY 2024-25 to FY 2031-32. "This revised scheme will help in faster development of hydropower projects, improve infrastructure in remote and hilly project locations and provide direct employment to a large number of local people along with indirect jobs," the Cabinet said.
This will encourage fresh investments in the hydropower sector and encourage timely completion of new projects. The government is taking several policy initiatives to address issues hindering hydropower development such as remote locations, hilly areas, lack of infrastructure, etc.
To promote and further improve the hydropower sector, the Cabinet approved measures such as declaring large hydropower projects as renewable energy sources along with budgetary support in March 2019. The scheme will apply to all hydropower projects of capacity above 25 MW, including private sector projects, which are awarded in a transparent manner.
4. PM E-Drive Scheme:
The Cabinet has approved the PM E-Drive scheme worth Rs 10,900 crore to reduce pollution. Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 3,679 crore has been approved for subsidy and demand incentive on electric vehicles which will include two-wheelers, three-wheelers, ambulances, trucks and other electric vehicles.
5. Payment Security Mechanism in PM E-Bus Program
The cabinet has also approved a project of Rs 3,435 crore for payment security mechanism in PM e-Bus program. Under this scheme, 38 thousand electric buses will be helped to hit the road between the financial year 2024-25 to 2028-29. Also, this scheme will help in the operation of the bus for the next 12 years.
6. PM Gram Sadak Yojana
Along with this, the cabinet has also taken a decision to approve Rs 70,125 crore for the PM Gram Sadak Yojana in remote areas.
(With inputs from agencies)