Yet to be rolled out on the ground but the health cover plan for 10 cr families does have a lot of names
Having signed memoranda of understanding with 29 states for a scheme called the Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission, prime minister Narendra Modi’s announcement from the ramparts of the Red Fort last week, has landed his government in a tricky position.
In his Independence Day speech, Modi announced a health protection scheme for 10 crore families called the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan. But the schemes that states agreed to be a part of is called something else; this is important because health, according to the Indian Constitution is a state subject and implementation of any health scheme is the prerogative of the state.
Sources say the National Health Agency that is tasked with a smooth nationwide rollout of the programme will need to bring out an office order to make the name given by PM Modi official. One week on, that order is yet to come.
Ayushman Bharat is the umbrella flagship health programme of the NDA government with a preventive arm – health and wellness centres – and a tertiery care arm – the erstwhile National Health Protection Mission. NHPM is now PMJAA, according to Modi’s Independence Day speech.
For the longest time, the quest for a Hindi name stopped at PMRSSM – Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Mission. It was junked for an interesting reason – presence of the letters RSS in the name
The health scheme, though yet to be implemented on the ground, has had quite a multi monicker run – Modicare, National Health Protection Mission (NHPM), Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM) and now Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan.
All in the quest for a Hindi name that would make the scheme more acceptable to its intended beneficiaries, say sources aware of the matter. According to the terms of the MoUs with states, the scheme though will have to be co-branded in 19 states which have their own schemes. So that name will have both the central and the state versions. That means in many states it will already have a local language prefix to it, so that comprehension would not necessarily be a problem.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan is the scheme for a Rs 5 lakh health cover for eligible families.
For the longest time, the quest for a Hindi name stopped at PMRSSM – Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Mission. It was junked for an interesting reason – presence of the letters RSS in the name.
BJP leaders of course swear by the name Modicare and Namocare for the scheme that really is the only truly new scheme in the four years of the Modi government. The Obamacare inspired nickname could not make it to the official documents.
