PM reviews preparations for 'Modicare'
New Delhi, May 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the progress of preparations for the launch of ambitious National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), popularly known as "Modicare", according to an official.
"The Prime Minister was apprised of the preparation done so far, including consultations with states, for a smooth and expeditious rollout of the health assurance programme under 'Ayushman Bharat' initiative," said the statement from Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The scheme will provide a cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year and is targeted to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
Informed sources said the government was likely to ready the scheme before August 15, 2018 and launch it on the Independence Day.
Modi stressed on providing maximum benefit to the poor and marginalised sections of society under the scheme, the statement said.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NITI Aayog and PMO, briefed the Prime Minister on various aspects of the scheme.
Last month, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the Prime Minister had inaugurated the first Health and Wellness Centre under Ayushman Bharat at Bijapur in Chhattisgarh.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Only 13 percent of encroached forests recovered in ten years in Karnataka: Report
Hubballi: The Karnataka Forest Department has made little progress in recovering encroached forest land, managing to reclaim only 13.6 percent of the total encroached area over the last decade.
From 2014-15 to 2024-25 (March), the department resolved 7,621 cases and recovered just 31,317 acres of forest land, as reported by Deccan Herald on Sunday.
Data cited by DH shows that nearly 2.30 lakh acres of forest land in the state were encroached upon by August 2024, with the department having filed 1.19 lakh cases against the encroachers. However, the process of clearing encroached land has been slow, primarily due to the legal procedures involved and delays in joint surveys conducted by the revenue and forest departments. The process is further delayed due to appeals by the litigants in higher courts.
In the past two years alone, the department has managed to recover just 5,113 acres of land. Environmental activist Girish D. V. from Chikkamagaluru, speaking to DH, criticised the Forest Department's handling of the issue, stating that the recovery of encroached land often happens only when directed by courts. "Forget about clearing legacy encroachments, the department is unable to prevent fresh ones. Every day, the state is losing forest land," he remarked.
An interim annual report from the Forest Department (2024) highlighted that between March and December 2024, 900 new cases of forest land encroachment were registered. Girish also pointed out that a lack of political will to clear encroachments has limited the department’s ability to prevent new ones.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre acknowledged the slow pace of recovery, attributing it to legal obstacles, multiple claim documents, and the livelihoods of marginal farmers. He told the news outlet that the state government was using technology, including satellite surveys, to curb new encroachments.
Khandre further emphasised that the state government has "zero tolerance" toward forest encroachments and they would go after influential persons to recover forest land. He added that they are fighting to recover leased forest land from private parties and restore it as forest land.
