Govt to set up daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals over next 3 years: Sitharaman
New Delhi (PTI): The government will facilitate setting up of daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals over the next three years and 200 of these will be established in 2025-26, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Saturday.
Presenting the 2025-26 Union Budget, her record eighth, Sitharaman said 10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges and hospitals next year towards the goal of adding 75,000 seats in the next five years.
She further announced that gig workers will be provided healthcare facilities under PM Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and this measure is likely to assist nearly 1 crore workers.
The government will facilitate setting up of daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals in the next three years, Sitharaman said.
She said, "200 centres will be established in 2025-26 itself."
To provide relief to patients, particularly those suffering from cancer, rare diseases and other severe chronic diseases, 36 lifesaving drugs and medicines are proposed to be added to the list of medicines fully exempted from basic customs duty (BCD).
"I also propose to add six lifesaving medicines to the list attracting concessional customs duty of 5 per cent. Full exemption and concessional duty will also respectively apply on the bulk drugs for manufacture of the above," the minister said.
Specified drugs and medicines under Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies are fully exempt from BCD, provided the medicines are supplied free of cost to patients, she said.
"I propose to add 37 more medicines along with 13 new patient assistance programmes," she said.
On adding seats in medical colleges and hospitals, Sitharaman said, "Our government has added almost 1.1 lakh undergraduate and postgraduate medical education seats in 10 years, an increase of 130 per cent."
"In the next year, 10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges and hospitals towards the goal of adding 75,000 seats in the next five years," she said.
She said medical tourism and 'Heal in India' will be promoted in partnership with the private sector along with capacity building and easier visa norms.
Also, broadband connectivity will be provided to all government secondary schools and primary healthcare centres, the minister said.
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Delimitation separate from population management: Chandrababu Naidu
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday sought to dispel confusion around delimitation, asserting that it is a separate issue from population management and should not be linked to the ongoing political discussions.
"Delimitation is a continuous process, occurring once in 25 years," Naidu told reporters here.
"Don't link all issues at a time. Delimitation and population management are different. I am talking about national interest," he added.
Discussing the ongoing political debates, Naidu emphasised, "There are reservations, and we will accommodate them. But don't link all issues at a time."
Speaking about India's demographic potential, Naidu highlighted the country's unique position in the global demographic landscape, describing India as having the "biggest advantage of demographic dividend".
Naidu also drew attention to the global aging crisis, pointing out the population challenges in countries like Japan, China, and some European nations.
"Japan is minus 8 per cent. It is an important issue for the survival of human beings," Naidu said.
"Aging problem has started in south India. Only two states -- Bihar and Uttar Pradesh -- have advantages in north India. We were thinking it is a disadvantage but it is an advantage now," he said.
Challenging the traditional family planning perspectives, Naidu revealed a personal policy shift.
"Even I used to advocate family planning as a challenge. Now, I am changing my views and promoting population growth," he said.
The chief minister also suggested a new approach for resource allocation, saying, "Wealth creation and population often conflict."
He proposed that "the government of India or the finance commission should promote population".
"Don't punish those who have aging problems today. Give incentives for more children," he said.
On concerns about delimitation, particularly those raised by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Naidu said, "All those things will be discussed. Sometimes some decisions are taken on the basis of assumptions. But sometimes all assumptions don't give dividends for the society. We have to change our views."
"We will work out how to keep everyone's sentiments in mind," Naidu said, positioning himself as a pioneer in "demographic management".
Clarifying his approach, Naidu added, "I did not say population promotion, but demographic management. If you do demographic management, sustainability of the economy will be there, and Indians will do a great job."
