Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 30 (ANI): Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling has highlighted the state's performance under the Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana schemes, saying more than 2.6 lakh people have received treatment since April 11.

He said Odisha ranks second in the country in terms of enrolment under Ayushman Bharat and accused the opposition of spreading misinformation about the scheme's performance.

'Under the Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana, over 2.6 lakh people have received treatment and benefited within the last three months since its launch on April 11 this year. Odisha ranks second after Uttar Pradesh in terms of enrollment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme... This is a strong slap to the opposition, which had claimed that Ayushman Bharat was not functioning properly in the state. Odisha has secured the second position in providing benefits under both Ayushman Bharat and the Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana,' Mahaling told ANI.

He credited the success of the schemes to the state government's commitment to healthcare.

On April 11, Union Minister JP Nadda launched the 'Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana', 'Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana', and 'Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana' in Cuttack, in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

According to the National Health Authority, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is the largest health assurance scheme in the world, which aims at providing a health cover of Rs five lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 12 crores poor and vulnerable families (approximately 55 crore beneficiaries) that form the bottom 40 per cent of the Indian population.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Odisha government's flagship 'Subhadra' scheme in Bhubaneswar. Under this scheme, eligible women in Odisha aged 21 to 60 years will receive Rs 50,000 over five years, from 2024-25 to 2028-29. The amount will be disbursed as Rs 10,000 annually in two equal installments, directly credited to Aadhaar-linked, DBT-enabled bank accounts. (ANI)