Budget may widen free health cover

Large part of middle class likely to be included in PM-JAY

- PRASANTA SAHU

THE CENTRE MAY widen the coverage of its flagship Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), which offers ₹5-lakh-a-year free health cover to 107 million poor households, to large sections of the middle-class families to protect them from health-related expenditure shocks.

"My understanding is that Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) is being extended to more households," a senior government functionary said, on condition of anonymity. Currently, the scheme is for the poor&vulnerable families, covering nearly the bottom 40% population, which are identified based on select deprivation and occupational criteria in rural and urban areas respectively, via the socio-economic caste census (SECC) 2011.

The Budget 2023-24 will have a greater focus on social sector issues and schemes than the previous ones, as the government reckons both these are public goods that have huge multiplier benefits for human capital and economic growth.

Given that the vast middle class of India is the backbone of its economy, the government wants to take care of their health expenditure concerns through the PM-JAY to sustain the long economic term growth prospects of the country.