PIB Summary- 8th April, 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Ayushman Bharat

Why in News?
The Prime Minister has remarked that the Ayushman Bharat Yojna is nothing less than a boon for the poor brothers and sisters. 

About Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

• Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme having central sector component under Ayushman Bharat Mission anchored in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• It is an umbrella of two major health initiatives, namely Health and wellness Centres and National  Health Protection Scheme.
• The PM Jan Arogya Yojana beneficiaries get an e-card that can be used to avail services at an empanelled hospital, public or private, anywhere in the country, with which they can walk into a hospital and obtain cashless treatment.
• The scheme has certain pre-conditions by which it picks who can avail of the health cover benefit. While in the rural areas the list is mostly categorized on lack of housing, meagre income and other deprivations, the urban list of PMJAY beneficiaries is drawn up on the basis of occupation.
• AB PM-JAY is the flagship scheme of the Union government as a part of the Indian government’s National Health Policy.

National Health Protection Mission (AB-PMJAY)

• AB-PMJAY provides a defined insurance benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. This cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures.
• To ensure that nobody is left out (especially women, children and elderly) there will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme.
• The beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities. All public hospitals in the States implementing AB-PMJAY, will be deemed empanelled for the Scheme.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country.
• To control costs, the payments for treatment will be done on package rate (to be defined by the Government in advance) basis.

Health and Wellness Centres (AB-PMJAY)

• Under this 1.5 lakh existing sub centres will bring health care system closer to the homes of people in the form of Health and wellness centres.
• These centres will provide comprehensive health care, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services.

About the National Health Authority (NHA)

• National Health Authority (NHA) is the apex body responsible for implementing India’s flagship public health insurance/assurance scheme called “Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana”.
• The NHA been entrusted with the role of designing strategy, building technological infrastructure and implementation of “Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission” to create a National Digital Health Eco-system.
• National Health Authority (2019) is the successor of the National Health Agency, which was functioning as a registered society since 2018 (Not a Statutory body).
• NHA has been set-up to implement PM-JAY, as it is popularly known, at the national level.
• NHA is an attached office of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with full functional autonomy.
• NHA is also leading the implementation for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission ABDM in coordination with different ministries/departments of the Government of India, State Governments, and private sector/civil society organizations.
• NHA is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and it is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), an officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, who manages its affairs.

Stand-Up India Scheme

Why in news?
As much as Rs 40,710 crore sanctioned to over 0.18 million accounts under the government’s flagship Stand Up India Scheme during the last seven years since its inception.

Stand Up India Scheme

• Launched in April 2016: The Stand Up India Scheme was launched by the Government of India in April 2016.
• Extended till 2025: The scheme has been extended till 2025 to encourage more people to take advantage of it.
• Aim: The scheme aims to promote entrepreneurship among women and SC/ST communities and help them start their own greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services, trading, or activities related to agriculture.
• Objective: The objective of the scheme is to facilitate bank loans ranging from Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe borrower and one woman borrower per bank branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks.
• Eligibility: The scheme is open to SC/ST and/or women entrepreneurs above 18 years of age. Loans under the scheme are available only for greenfield projects.
• Greenfield projects: Greenfield projects refer to the first-time venture of the beneficiary in the manufacturing, services, agri-allied activities, or trading sector.
• Shareholding and controlling stake: In the case of non-individual enterprises, at least 51% of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by either SC/ST and/or women entrepreneurs.

Achievements of Stand Up India Scheme

The Stand Up India Scheme has been a significant contributor to the empowerment of the SC/ST communities and women entrepreneurs in India. Here are some of the major achievements of the scheme:

• Amount sanctioned: Since the inception of the Stand Up India Scheme, an amount of Rs. 40,710 crore has been sanctioned to over 0.18 million accounts under the scheme.
• Women and SC/ST accounts: Out of the total amount sanctioned, Rs. 33,152.43 crore was sanctioned to 0.14 million accounts of women while Rs. 5,625.5 crore was sanctioned to 26,889 SC accounts. Additionally, Rs. 1,932.5 crore was sanctioned to 8,960 accounts of ST members.
• Women empowerment: Approximately 80% of the loans sanctioned under the scheme until March 21, 2023, were given to women entrepreneurs. More than 1 lakh women promoters have benefitted from the scheme so far.
• Funding the unfunded: The Stand Up India Scheme is based on the third pillar of the National Mission for Financial Inclusion, namely, “Funding the Unfunded.” It has ensured the availability of seamless credit flow from branches of Schedule Commercial Banks to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.