Ranchi, Sept 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rolled-out his flagship healthcare scheme - the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), also known as Ayushman Bharat. The scheme will cover 10 crore households, falling at the bottom of the socio-economic census of 2011. Considering that an household has 5 members on an average, nearly 50 crore of India's 130-crore population will be covered under the scheme.

While launching the healthcare programme, PM Modi said the scheme, if successful, will serve as a case study for researchers across the developed world. "The total number of beneficiaries is more than the population of US, Canada and Mexico combined," he said.

Ayushman Bharat: Key Facts to Know About PM Modi's 'Game-Changing' PMJAY Healthcare Scheme

- To register under the PMJAY, eligible section of the populace need to register by dialling 14555. If they fit the eligibility criteria, the beneficiaries would be issued a card.

- The scheme will cover health expenses for upto Rs 5 lakh per year. "This will be a boon for a major section of the population who are pushed into destitution when one member of the family suffers a chronic disease," said noted surgeon Dr Farooq Khan.

- Among those who are eligible for PMJAY, include those living on alms, manual scavengers and their families, primitive tribal groups and those released from bonded labour.

- Among households, the eligibility criteria depends on "any of the following factors": House with one or less room with kutcha roof and kutcha wall; No adult member in family aged between 18 to 59; Family headed by a differently abled-adult with no other able-bodied adult; Household with no literate above the age of 25 years.

- SC/ST families and landless households deriving income from manual labour also qualify to be covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

- However, if any of the beneficiary household has 2/3/4-wheeler vehicle, or a fishing boat, will not be covered under the scheme. The family would also become ineligible if it has a Kisan Credit card with credit limit of over Rs 50,000.

Promoted as "Modicare" -- on the lines of former US president Barack Obama's "Obamacare" healthcare programme -- the scheme is expected to be a gamechanger for the government in run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "People call this Modicare, but for me it is a scheme dedicated to the poor," Modi said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2018 05:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).