Modi launches Rs 64,000-crore PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission from poll-bound UP

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched Rs 75,000 crore pan-India and Uttar Pradesh-specific mega health infrastructure and development projects from the poll-bound state.

They include the Rs 64000-crore PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, one of the largest pan-India schemes for strengthening health care infrastructure across the country.

The PM also launched development projects worth around Rs 5,200 crore for Varanasi, his home constituency, and nine medical colleges in the Purvanchal region.

The Prime Minister said that the projects launched from UP are worth "almost Rs 75,000 crore". They will help India ward off any future health threats like coronavirus pandemic, he added.

While elaborating on Rs 64000-crore health infrastructure and facilities being developed across the country under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, the Prime Minister accused the governments of "depriving India of health facilities, and corruption". 

Stating that these works should have been done decades ago, he said now we have to do it with more speed and dedication. The new facilities will also help fill health gaps in states like those in the Northeast, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, he added. 

The PM also accused governments run by opposition parties in UP of "neglecting" Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency.

The PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission will be one of the largest pan-India schemes for strengthening health care infrastructure across the country. It will be in addition to the National Health Mission, according to an official statement.

The objective of PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is to fill critical gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas.  

It will provide support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 High Focus States. Further, 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres will be established in all the states.

Earlier, at Siddharthnagar, the Prime Minister inaugurated nine medical colleges for UP.

The nine medical colleges are in the districts of Siddharthnagar, Etah, Hardoi, Pratapgarh, Fatehpur, Deoria, Ghazipur, Mirzapur and Jaunpur in the Purvanchal region.

The PM also pitched for "vocal for local" ahead of the upcoming festival season and lauded the country's 100 crore vaccination landmark.

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