New Delhi. On Tuesday, October 29, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the father of Ayurveda, the facility of free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh has started for the elderly above 70 years of age. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched this scheme on the occasion of Dhanteras and Ayurveda Day. Under this scheme, more than six crore elderly people of the country will get benefit. The Central Government has expanded the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to include the elderly. It was approved by the Union Cabinet during the assembly elections of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and it has been implemented between the elections of Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
However, while launching this scheme on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over Ayushman Vaya Vandan cards to the elderly citizens at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences i.e. AIIMS, Delhi. On this occasion, he said- Today I am satisfied that this scheme is expanding. At the time of elections, I had guaranteed that in the third term, all the elderly above 70 years of age would be brought under the ambit of this scheme. This guarantee is being fulfilled today on Dhanvantari Jayanti. Modi said- Now every elderly person above 70 years of age will get free treatment in the hospital. Such elderly people will be given Ayushman Vaya Vandana card. The government is trying to get this work done as soon as possible. This is a scheme in which there is no restriction on income. Everyone can become a beneficiary.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi and the Trinamool Congress government of West Bengal and said – I apologize to the elders above 70 years of age of Delhi and Bengal that I will not be able to serve them. You will be in pain, but I won’t be able to help. Reason, the government of Delhi and Bengal is not joining this scheme. I apologize that I am able to serve the countrymen, but political interests are not allowing me to serve in Delhi and Bengal. I will not be able to express in words how much pain my heart must be experiencing.
Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated health projects worth Rs 12,850 crore on this occasion. He virtually launched health projects in 18 states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar. The Prime Minister also launched the country’s first air ambulance Sanjeevani from Rishikesh AIIMS.