NATIONAL SCHEMES

National Health Accounts  figures indicate high burden of health care costs on people

• Context:As per the latest figures from the National Health Accounts (NHA) Estimates for India 2022-23, out-of-pocket ex-penditure (OOPE) is nearly half of the current health expenditure, and financial protection for health emergencies remains incomplete, though government and insurance spending has increased.

The share of Government Health Ex-penditure (GHE) as a per-centage of the GDP has ri-sen from 1.15% in 2013-14 to 1.43% in 2022-23, and as per the new GDP series, it will be 1.48% in 2022-23.

• Stated that Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and associated government health insurance schemes are failing to provide substantial protection to people from high healthcare spending.

 

About Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) 

• Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) was introduced in September 2018 as the flagship programme of the Ayushman Bharat mission.
• It is regarded as the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme.
• The scheme seeks to promote Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reduce the burden of huge medical expenses 
• At the national level, the programme is administered by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, while State Health Agencies (SHAs) oversee implementation in respective states.

Coverage and Financial Structure

• • PM-JAY offers health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family annually.
  • It mainly includes secondary and tertiary hospitalization care, while outpatient primary care is excluded.

• The scheme covers expenses for up to 3 days before hospitalization, including tests and consultations, and up to 15 days after discharge for medicines and follow-up treatment.

Funding Pattern

• PM-JAY functions as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with shared financial responsibility between the Centre and States:
  • 60:40 for regular States and Union Territories with legislatures.
  • 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States.
  • Full Central funding for Union Territories without legislatures.

Eligibility and Beneficiaries

• Initially, the programme targeted nearly 12 crore poor and vulnerable families (around 55 crore people), representing the bottom 40% of India’s population.

• Beneficiaries are selected using deprivation and occupational criteria listed in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 for rural and urban households.
• The scheme places no restriction on family size, age, or gender, ensuring inclusion of women, children, and senior citizens.
• In September 2024, PM-JAY was widened to include all individuals aged 70 years and above, regardless of income or SECC category, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card, benefiting around 6 crore elderly citizens.
• Coverage was also extended to ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs), and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs).

Challenges Faced by PM-JAY

• Restricted Coverage:OPD treatment, medicines, and diagnostics outside hospitalization are not included, and some expensive procedures remain uncovered.
• Limited Hospital Participation: Several private hospitals hesitate to join due to low package rates, while public hospitals face overcrowding.
• Fraudulent Practices:Instances of fake beneficiaries, false claims, and unnecessary treatments have been reported.
• Awareness and Access Issues:Many eligible families are unaware of the scheme, and low digital literacy affects accessibility.
• Financial Pressure:Rising healthcare demand increases the fiscal burden on governments, with variations in implementation across states.
• Healthcare Quality Concerns:Lack of specialists and uneven standards of care across regions impact treatment outcomes.
• Claim Settlement Delays:Slow reimbursement processes and complicated paperwork discourage hospitals from active participation.

 

National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)

• Context : A national workshop on oil palm development in the Northeast was held under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).

National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)

• National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), approved in 2021 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, was launched to enhance domestic edible oil production by expanding oil palm cultivation and increasing Crude Palm Oil (CPO) output. 
• The mission has a financial allocation of ₹11,040 crore.

Key Features

• Price Protection:The scheme introduced the Viability Price (VP) mechanism for the first time to shield farmers from fluctuations in global CPO prices.
• Higher Financial Assistance:Support for planting material was significantly increased from ₹12,000 per hectare to ₹29,000 per hectare, along with enhanced maintenance assistance.
• Support for Rejuvenation:Farmers are provided special aid of ₹250 per plant for rejuvenating old oil palm gardens.
• Priority Regions:The mission gives special attention to North-Eastern states as well as traditional oil palm growing states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

 

Major Targets

• • Expansion of Cultivation Area:Bring around 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm plantations by 2025-26.

• Production Goals:Achieve CPO production of 11.20 lakh tonnes by 2025-26 and 28 lakh tonnes by 2029-30.

• Consumption Objective:Sustain edible oil consumption at 19 kg per person annually up to 2025-26.

 

NeSDA Portal

• Context : To strengthen digital governance in India, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has launched the ‘NeSDA 2025’ portal.

About the NeSDA Portal

• The National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) is a biennial (once every two years) framework used to assess the online service delivery of States, Union Territories, and selected Central Ministries.

• • It is modeled after the United Nations (UN) Online Service Index (OSI) and has been customized to suit India’s federal structure.
  • The framework evaluates the availability, accessibility, and overall maturity of e-governance services from a citizen-centric perspective.

• NeSDA serves as a benchmarking tool to enhance service delivery and promote best practices among various government entities.

• This assessment covers key sectors such as: Finance, Labour and Employment , Education, Local Governance and Utilities, Social Welfare (including Health, Agriculture, and Home Security), Environment, Tourism, Public Grievances,Transport and Travel.