P.C. Thomas, chairman of the Kerala Congress (Thomas) faction, and national council member of the NDA, has urged the State government and departments to desist from their moves to deprive benefits envisaged by the Centre for the poorer sections of society.

At a news conference here on Wednesday, he urged the State government to implement the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a national initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the part of the National Health Policy 2017, in order to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage.