Ayushman Bharat to now cover those above 70 years: Modi 3.0’s Cabinet decisions

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took slew of decisions on Wednesday, including approval to ‘Mission Mausam’ with an outlay of ₹2,000 crore over two years, and Ayushman health insurance coverage to all the senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income under the flagship scheme.
Under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the coverage aims to benefit six crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families with ₹5 lakh free health insurance cover.
— All senior citizens of the age 70 years and above irrespective of their socio- economic status would be eligible to avail the benefits of AB PM-JAY.
— The eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under AB PM-JAY.
“We are committed to ensuring accessible, affordable and top quality healthcare for every Indian. In this context, the Cabinet today has decided to further expand the ambit of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY to provide health coverage for all citizens above 70 years. This scheme will ensure dignity, care and security to 6 crore citizens,” said PM Modi in a post on X.
The Union Cabinet also approved ‘Mission Mausam’ to create a more weather-ready and climate-smart Bharat with an outlay of Rs.2,000 crore over two years.
— Mission Mausam is envisaged to be a multi-faceted and transformative initiative to tremendously boost India’s weather and climate-related science, research, and services.
— The mission’s focus will include improving observations and understanding for providing highly accurate and timely weather and climate information across temporal and spatial scales, including monsoon forecasts, alerts for air quality, extreme weather events and cyclones, weather interventions for managing fog, hail, and rain, etc., capacity building and generating awareness.
— Critical elements of Mission Mausam will include the deployment of next-generation radars and satellite systems with advanced sensors and high-performance supercomputers, the development of improved Earth system models and a GIS-based automated Decision Support System for real-time data dissemination.
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Rural Development for implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-IV during financial year 2024-25 to 2028-29.
— The financial assistance is to be provided for the construction of 62,500 km road for providing new connectivity to eligible 25,000 unconnected habitations and construction and upgradation of bridges on the new connectivity roads, an official statement said.
— All-weather roads measuring 62,500 km will be provided to unconnected habitations.
— The construction of required bridges along the alignment of the all-weather road will also be provided.
The cabinet also approved development of 31,350 MW hydropower projects at an outlay of ₹12,461, over the next eight years.
— The scheme will be applicable to all Hydro Power Projects of more than 25 MW capacity including the private sector projects which have been allotted on a transparent basis.
“The modifications in the Hydro Electric Projects scheme approved by the Cabinet will boost infrastructure development in remote areas. It will accelerate Hydro Power growth, create jobs and drive investments in the sector,” said Modi.
The Cabinet approves PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore
— The scheme will support 24.79 lakh e-2Ws, 3.16 lakh e-3Ws, and 14,028 e-buses. Scheme paves the way for electric ambulances, a crucial step towards integrating EVs into the health sector.
— The scheme allocates ₹500 crore for the deployment of e-ambulances. The performance and safety standards of e-ambulances will be formulated in consultation with MoHFW, MoRTH and other relevant stakeholders.