Launching the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state capital on Sunday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said it was a historic day as this world’s biggest scheme would benefit over 100 million poor families of the country by bringing them under health cover

“Former President Barak Obama had launched a similar health scheme in the USA and people there called it Obamacare. Taking a cue, Indians are terming this scheme ‘Modicare’. But to me, it should be named Modi protection for the health of the poor,” Singh said while launching the scheme at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here on Sunday.

The Union Home Minister said that this scheme would fulfil the dream of the Prime Minister to see India as a healthy country where people do not die of curable diseases.

Singh, who launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme along with other leaders, said that it would act as a sankat mochan for the poor families.

“Now, the poor will not have to take loan from sahukars (moneylenders) for treatment of their near and dear ones as it is for the first time that a Union government is spending such a big amount in the health sector,” he said.

The Union Home Minister said that the government wanted people of the country to get affordable health facilities and they were committed to providing that.

While Governor Ram Naik, UP Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit and several state ministers were present at the launch of the scheme in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the scheme at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur on Sunday.

“The UP government has prepared itself for the successful implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Expert committees have been set up in all the 75 districts to monitor the scheme so that its benefits reach the people in need,” the Chief Minister said.

In UP, around 6 crore people from 1.18 crore families will be covered by the new health insurance scheme under which the beneficiary will get Rs 5 lakh health cover.

“There are 1,350 medical packages which have been included in this scheme, and they will cover almost all the diseases,” the CM said.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Health Mahendra Singh said that over 600 hospitals had been registered in the state for the scheme.

“The scheme will benefit majority of the poor as it is the largest scheme in the country,” he pointed out.

Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit said it was the most beneficial scheme of the country. “The scheme will be a big help for the poor families of the country,” he said.

Several state ministers, including Brajesh Pathak and Ashutosh Tandon, were present at the launch in Lucknow.