Ayushman Bharat scheme to be launched in Puducherry tomorrow

Health Minister of Puducherry Malladi Krishna Rao has announced that the Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Central government would be launched here on Saturday.

Announcing this in the territorial Assembly on Friday, he told the ruling and opposition parties, which had wanted the Chief Minister's insurance scheme like the one in neighbouring Tamil Nadu that Ayushman Bharat would be introduced.

Stating that 1.04 lakh people were to be covered under the Central scheme initially, Rao said he had requested the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to extend the insurance cover to over three lakh people.

He said the territorial government would contribute 40 per cent of the premium amount for the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the remaining 60 per cent would be available from the Centre.

During a debate later on the budget for the fiscal 2019-2020 presented on August 28, the opposition AINRC legislator T P R Selvam wanted the government to restart the cooperative sugar millnear here and not handed it over to any private entrepreneur.

Intervening on the issue, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy said the cabinet would take an appropriate decision.

During zero hour, Chief Minister Narayanasamy told the opposition AIADMK member A Anbalagan that the government had intensified police vigil on the sale of ganja in different parts of the union territory.

He said the contraband was smuggled in from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu and sold in different areas like Villianoor, Mettupalaym and Lawspet.

The police have been keeping tight vigil and have arrested peddlers in some cases, the Chief Minister added.