Odisha's Implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

The Odisha government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Authority (NHA) for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state. This will be integrated with the state's Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY).

Scheme Features and Coverage

• Combined healthcare coverage: Rs 5 lakh per family per annum, with an additional Rs 5 lakh for women members.
• AB-PMJAY, launched in 2018, provides health cover for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• Total coverage: Around 550 million individuals or 123.4 million families nationwide.
• Eligibility depends on the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011).

Odisha Specifics

• The converged scheme in Odisha is expected to cover 10.3 million families.
• 6.78 million families will be supported by the central government.
• Beneficiaries from the GJAY will have access to over 29,000 empanelled hospitals for cashless and quality treatment.
• The scheme will benefit about 45 million people in Odisha using a single card.
• Coverage includes families of ASHA and anganwadi workers.

Implementation and Administration

• Managed by the NHA and Odisha's State Health Assurance Society (SHAS).
• NHA responsibilities: Operational guidelines, technical support, capacity building.
• SHAS responsibilities: Card printing, distribution, empanelment of healthcare providers.
• Financing mix: 60:40 sharing ratio between the central and state governments.

National Context

• Odisha becomes the 34th state/UT to implement the scheme.
• West Bengal and Delhi are yet to join the PMJAY.
• The government is working with remaining states and UTs to include them in the scheme.

Government’s ₹10,000-crore IndiaAI Mission

The IndiaAI Mission, a governmental initiative with a budget of ₹10,371.92 crore approved in March last year, aims to significantly enhance India's capabilities in artificial intelligence by implementing solutions with graphics processing units (GPU).

Key Objectives

• Distribute 10,000 GPUs to support startups, researchers, students, and academicians.

Budget Allocation

• 44% of the total budget (₹4,563.63 crore) is designated for providing compute capacity with over 10,000 GPUs over a five-year period.

Bidder Selection and Process

• 13 eligible bidders were selected from 19 applicants.
• Bidders were evaluated based on eligibility and technical criteria.
• Technical presentations were made to the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).

Notable Bidders

• Prominent companies include Jio Platforms, Tata Communications, Yotta Data Services, and E2E Networks (in partnership with L&T).
• Other bidders include Ctrl S Datacenters, NxtGen Datacenter and Cloud Technologies, CloudThat Technologies, CMS Computers, Hostin Services, I2k2 Networks, Locuz Enterprise Solutions, Orient Technologies, and Vensysco Technologies.

Next Steps

• Commercial bids will be opened for technically qualified bidders.
• Empanelment duration is set for 36 months, with the potential for a 12-month extension.