62 apps, 23 websites shut down for misleading on PMJAY

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PMJAY, Ayushman Bharat
Prime minister Modi had launched PMJAY in Jharkhand

Junior health minister Anupriya Patel informs Lok Sabha about the status of NDA government’s flagship health scheme

Government has closed down 62 fake mobile application and shut down or blocked 23 websites for spreading misinformation about Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) the tertiary care arm of Ayushman Bharat.

In a written reply last week, minister of state for health and family welfare Anupriya Patel told the Lok Sabha: “Fake entities (websites, mobile applications, videos) trying to spread misinformation about PMJAY are being proactively monitored. So far a list of 68 fake mobile applications and 54 websites on internet spreading false news about PMJAY has been compiled…”.

An individual can search whether he/she is an eligible beneficiary for Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY) using mobile or  ration Card Number, the name as it appears in the socio economic caste census data and the RSBY URN

The government, she added, subsequently issued public advisories on the matter, shared the list of the errant entities with the ministries of home affairs and electronics and information technology and also filed FIRs against these entities. “Consequently 62 out of 68 fake mobile applications have been closed and 23 out of 54 fake websites have either been blocked or shut down,” Patel added.

Launched on September 23, PMJAY generated a huge buzz which probably spawned a large number of counterfeit entities promising “registration” etc. That is what prompted National Health Agency (NHA) which is the implementing authority for PMJAY, to launch its own website mera.pmjay.gov.in and the helpline (14555). The online verification system takes off from the common system used by many consumer goods companies of tracing consumers through their mobile numbers. A citizen of India only needs to key in his or her mobile number which is verified through an OTP. If the person is on the verified list, eKYC with Aadhar or any other identification document can be completed online. An individual can search whether he/she is an eligible beneficiary for Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY) using mobile or  ration Card Number, the name as it appears in the socio economic caste census data and the RSBY URN.

The total number of hospital admissions under PMJAY till December 11 is 4,92,073. A total of Rs 817.73 crore has been released to the states under the scheme.