5 Dariya News

Harsh Vardhan takes charge, rides on cycle

5 Dariya News

New Delhi 03-Jun-2019

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday took charge of the Health Ministry, a portfolio he was suddenly divested of in November 2014 after being allocated the department  earlier that year in May.Harsh Vardhan, an ENT doctor by profession who reached his office at Nirman Bhavan on a cycle, said he will write to the Chief Ministers of the five states  where the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme has not been implemented so far. "Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha  and Delhi have not implemented the scheme under which Rs 5 lakh annual medical cover is provided to each family belonging to vulnerable sections for treatment," he told the  media here. "So far 27 lakh people have availed the benefits under the scheme. The Ministry will work extensively so that more and more eligible persons get the benefits under  the scheme," he said.The Minister said the government has also set a target of establishing 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022 adding that so far around 17,000 such  centres have come up.