Inclusion in NRC will not be a criteria for entitlement under the National Health Protection Scheme
In the midst of the political turmoil on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam, highly placed sources in the National Health Agency have clarified that entitlement under Ayushman Bharat(AB) will not be subject to inclusion in the contentious list.
The ambitious National Health Protection Mission, the tertiery care arm of AB, is widely expected to be announced in prime minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech.
Announced in the Union Budget, NHPM will provide an annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh to 10.74 crore families. Assam has been on the boil ever since the draft NRC was made public. Some 40 lakh residents of the state have apparently been left out of the list that has been compiled under the directions of the Supreme Court.
Being a “legitimate” citizen of Assam is one of the eligibility criteria for Atal Amrit Abhiyan the health scheme run by the Assam government. For AB however any family that qualifies for NHPM as per the Socio-economic Caste Census (SECC) and have been verified as such will make the cut. So far all but 65 lakh families have been verified.
Several big states like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are yet to sign up for NHPM.
AAA, meanwhile is a cashless health scheme for Rs 2 lakh. It is available to all citizens of Assam with an annual income of Rs 5 lakh or less. It covers about 1.5 crore people. As per SECC data 27 lakh families from Assam are eligible for NHPM.
Assam has signed up for NHPM. As per the MoU that the National Health Agency has been signing with states, NHPM will go to states in alliance with the state health schemes.
Several big states like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka, kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are yet to sign up for NHPM. Goa and Telengana too have not signed MoUs. The two states in contention for the official launch of NHPM are Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, both poll bound.
 of Assam, highly placed sources in the National Health Agency have clarified that entitlement under Ayushman Bharat(AB) will not be subject to inclusion in the contentious list.){kind=link}