Modi reviews road widening, Ayushman Bharat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought information on the progress of universal health insurance scheme- Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, and widening of Chutmalpur-Ganeshpur and Roorkee-Chutmalpur-Saharanpur-Yamunanagar roads via video conferencing on Wednesday. The review was part of the Pro- Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) scheme of the Government of India.

The additional chief secretary ( ACS), Om Prakash apprised the PM that in Uttarakhand, a stretch of just 30.98 km  of the said roads passes through the state and land on 25 km stretch of the road on which four lane work is to be done has been acquired. The acquisition of the remaining land is under process and by September 20, the entire land would be handed over to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), he told the PM. ACS also told the PM that all the structures standing in the way have been removed. He further informed that the work on the road had begun on February 28 and the first milestone has been completed before the scheduled time.

On the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Om Prakash apprised Modi that a State Health Agency has been constituted for its implementation and its chief executive officer (CEO) has been appointed. He said that successful testing of Beneficiary Identification Software (BIS) has been done in Rudraprayag and Pauri districts recently. The task of pilot testing in the remaining districts would be completed by August 31. ACS further informed that Tara Devi of Rudraprayag district has been the first beneficiary of the scheme in the country.

He said that 5.37 lakh families have been identified in Uttarakhand under the scheme. These families would get the benefit of free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year. Apart from this, unlimited insurance coverage would be provided to 2.60 lakh state employees, officers, retired personnel and their dependents, ACS informed the PM.