The Ayushman Bharat Yojana, launched for 55 crore poor people in the country, is likely to benefit the middle class soon. The government has started preparations for this. It is expected to be announced in the budget. Health facilities, free cashless treatment services have been provided to 10.74 crore families through Ayushman Yojana. This has been informed by senior officials of the Central Government. Discussions had started a few months ago on the need to include the middle class families in Ayushman Bharat as well. A variety of options are being considered to bring the middle class into the scheme.
Whom will the scheme benefit
These may include annual income limits, employees in the organized, unorganized sector. Employees of private companies are likely to be given special priority in the middle class. For this, private companies can be empowered to register their employees in Ayushman Bharat. If this happens, those with a salary of up to Rs 15,000 can get ESIC and those with a salary of 25 to 30 thousand and above can get health treatment from Ayushman Bharat Yojana.Private companies offer health insurance to their employees.
Some companies even charge employees for this. These companies are likely to have to pay lower premiums for life. In this case, the employees can also get the option to avail the benefit of Ayushman Yojana directly.Recently, with the initiative of Home Ministry, Central paramilitary forces have been linked to Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Ayushman cards are being issued to all soldiers. This is the first step towards connecting the middle class with a living India. Life cards were to be given to all 55 crore poor. However, even after reversing the implementation of this scheme for three and a half years, only 17.35 crore life cards have been issued. COVID-19 has caused a heavy burden on health infrastructure, the government is now gearing up to launch a campaign to find the beneficiaries and issue them a large number of life cards.