West Bengal became the 36th state or union territory to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana after signing an MoU with the National Health Authority on June 8.
The signing took place at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi. Union Health Minister J P Nadda and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the event. The scheme is expected to cover 1.43 crore households in the state, including 1.24 crore poorest families. It will also benefit 15.95 lakh persons aged 70 and above along with 3.06 lakh frontline health workers. The Centre has released Rs 976 crore for the rollout. Adhikari noted that nearly one crore migrant workers from West Bengal will now access treatment across the country using their Ayushman cards. Nadda highlighted the portability feature and said beneficiaries nationwide have availed over 12 crore treatments worth more than Rs 1.82 lakh crore.
