Can the treatment of eligible and Covid-19 patients be covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana ?

The central government had included the treatment for Covid-19 in the 'Ayushman Bharat Yojana' at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The 'Ayushman Bharat' is also known as 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana'. Over time, while India was still fighting the first wave of the pandemic, some state governments extended the ambit of this scheme from oxygen supply to meeting the cost of essential medicines for the treatment of Covid-19.

Ayushman Bharat is the flagship health insurance scheme by the central government for poor people.

Under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, 10 crore poor families, deprived and weaker sections of the country get health insurance. Under this scheme, these families i.e., 50 crore people get health insurance of up to Rs 5 lakh per year. However, to benefit from the scheme, you must have certain qualifications. They are the following:

In rural areas, the Ayushman Bharat Yojana scheme can be availed only by people who have a kuccha house, no adult (16-59 years) in the family, woman as the head of the family, a disabled person in the family, the family is from SC/ST, landless, daily wage labourer, homeless, tribals and destitute.

In urban areas, beggars, garbage pickers, maids who earn through household chores, street vendors, hawkers, plumbers, masons, labourers, painters, welders, security guards, porters, sweepers, drivers, rickshaw pullers or persons who work in a shop can avail the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

According to a March 2020 circular, the treatment and testing of Covid-19 will be done for free of cost in any of the private hospitals empanelled for the scheme.

Private hospitals, too, have been empanelled under this scheme along with government hospitals. Under this insurance scheme, treatment of almost all types of diseases such as cancer surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, cardiac surgery, neuro (brain) surgery, spine surgery, dental surgery, eye surgery and special tests such as MRI and CT scans are covered.

Infections such as a common cold and fever are not included in the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Now that the Covid-19 infection symptoms are like those of a common cold, can Covid-19 be treated under the scheme?

Symptoms of Covid-19 include a cold, cough or fever which are detected through the RT-PCR tests. However, to make use of the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, a person has to be admitted to a hospital for at least one day. So if you are positive for Covid-19 and have been admitted to a hospital, you can still take benefits of the scheme. But are you eligible to apply for the scheme?

The eligibility criteria for the Ayushman Bharat Yojana can be checked online at www.pmjay.gov.in or by calling 14555 and 1800111565 helpline numbers.

If you are eligible, then you will get treatment for Covid-19 at the private hospitals associated with Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Quarantine at a private hospital will also be covered under this insurance.

While the poor can get free treatment at the government hospitals, the aim of the scheme was also to add private hospitals under it. You can find which hospital near you is connected with Ayushman Bharat Yojana by checking online or calling the helpline numbers.

After you know your eligibility and the hospital associated with the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, you will be helped by an "Ayushman Mitra or Arogya Mitra" in that hospital. "Ayushman Mitra or Arogya Mitra" will help you with admission to the hospital.

To get benefits under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the eligible person has to show his/her eligibility by an e-card. S/he has to show some documents such as an Aadhaar card, a Voter ID card or ration card.

https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/tested-positive-covid19-heres-how-you-can-benefit-from-ayushman-bharat-yojana-for-treatment-1800255-2021-05-08

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10 facts about PM-Jan Arogya Yojana or PM-JAY, a key part of Ayushman Bharat Yojna

Ayushman Bharat Diwas is observed on April 30. Ayushman Bharat Yojna was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, to provide healthcare benefits to crores of Indians who can't afford proper medical facilities. The flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government was launched along the lines of a universal health coverage to meet one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations - "leave no one behind." According to Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, India has operationalised 75,532 Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (HCW) so far despite the COVID-19 pandemic and is on track to functionalise 1.5 lakh HWCs by December 2022.

Ayushman Bharat Diwas: 10 facts about PM-Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

1.     The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna or PM-JAY is a key component of Ayushman Bharat Yojna
2.     PM-JAY was launched on 23rd September, 2018 in Ranchi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
3.     Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is the largest health scheme in the world
4.     Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY aims to provide a health cover of ₹ 5 lakh per family per year to over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families
5.     PM-JAY beneficiaries are from the bottom 40 per cent of the Indian population  
6.     PM-JAY is fully funded by the central government and the cost of implementation is shared between the centre and states
7.     PM-JAY provides cashless hospitalization
8.     It covers up to three days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses like tests and medicines
9.     PM-JAY benefits are portable across the country, that is, a person can visit any empanelled public or private healthcare facility in India for cashless hospitalization.
10.     All pre-existing conditions are covered from day one and services include around 1,393 procedures

 

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ayushman-bharat-diwas-2021-10-things-to-know-about-pm-jan-arogya-yojana-pm-jay-2424821

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Atal Pension Yojana( APY) Subscriber Information for Indians

APY offers choice of minimum monthly pension guaranteed by Govt. of India of Rs. 1000, Rs 2000, Rs 3000, Rs 4000 and Rs. 5000 per month after 60 years of age.

Subscriber’s Age should be between 18 -40 yearsfor joining APY.

Subscribercan join APY through a bank branch/post-office.It is mandatory to provide nomination and spouse details in APY account.

Contributionscan be made on Monthly or Quarterly or Half yearly basisthrough auto debit facility from savings Bank account.

Transaction statementand PRAN Cardcan be viewed and printedanytime, from anywhere and free of cost by visiting www.npscra.nsdl.co.in>> Home>>Atal pension Yojana>> APY e-PRAN/Transaction statement view.

Subscriber can request for issuance of Physical PRAN card after paying the requisite sum at the website-https://enps.nsdl.com/eNPS/APYRePrintPRAN.html>>Atal Pension Yojana>>Print APY PRAN Card, After enrolling into Atal Pension Yojana, Physical transaction statement will be sent once in a year to the registered addressi.e. the address provided by a subscriber after enrolling for Atal Pension Yojana.Contribution Under APY.

All the queries regarding APY account / contribution shouldbe made to the APY-SP branchonly. Information about the status of contributions will be communicatedby CRA-NSDLthrough periodic SMS alertson registered mobile numberof the subscriber. Modification of Subscriber Details under APY, Subscriber  will  have  to makeawritten  request which is  to  be  submitted  to  the  APY-SP  branchalong  with  the  required  documents for modificationof  personal information like address, phone number, etc.

Switching facility is available once in a year during the month of April for which a “Form to upgrade/downgrade pension amount under APY” available at https://www.npscra.nsdl.co.in/>>Home>>Atal  Pension  Yojana>>Forms>>Maintenance>>  Forms  to  upgrade/downgrade  pension  amount  under  APY,is  to  be submitted to APY-SP branch.

To upgradethe pension amount means toincreasethepension amountof a subscriberand to downgrade the pension amount means todecrease thepension amountof a subscriber.

Change in frequencyof contributione.g. from quarterly contribution to monthly contribution or from half yearly contribution to quarterly contribution etc. may be done after submission of written request by the APY subscriber to the APY-SP branch.Exit from APY

Pre-matureexit(Exit before 60 Years of age):For closure of APY accounts a duly filled “Account Closure Form (Voluntary Exit) form” and other relevant documents is  to  be  submitted  to  the  concerned  APY-SP  branch.

The  form  is  available  at: www.npscra.nsdl.co.in>>Home>>AtalPension  Yojana>>Forms>>Withdrawal Form>>Voluntary exit APY withdrawal form. It will also be available at APY-SP branch as well.Subscriber should not close the savings bank account linked with APY account even though the APY account gets closed because the closure proceeds which the subscriber will receive on the pre-mature exit is transferred into the APY linked savings bank account and closure of this account may create problem in transfer of closure proceeds.

Exit due to Death:The claimant may submit the duly filled “APY Closure Form (Death)” along withacopy of the death certificate to the concerned APY-SP branch. The  form  is  available  at: www.npscra.nsdl.co.in>>Home>>AtalPension  Yojana>>Forms>>Withdrawal  Form>>APY  death  form.  It  will  also  be  available  at  APY-SP Branch as well.

On death of the APY account subscriber, the monthly guaranteed pension shall be payable to the spouseof the subscriberand in the absence or subsequent death of the spouse, thepension corpusas per the pension plan subscribedshall be payable to the nominee of the subscriber.The nominee has to be someone else other than the spouse of the subscriber.

On death of the subscriberbefore 60 years, spouse has the option to continue thecontribution in theAPY account of subscriber, which can be maintained in the spouse’s name,for the remaining vesting time, till the time original subscriber would have attained 60 years of age.APY Mobile Application.

APY mobile applicationis  available  for  APY  usersfree  of  cost, where,recent  5  contributions  can  be  checked  and  transaction  statement  and  e-PRAN  canalsobe downloadedanytime without paying any charge. Android users can download APY mobile application from Google play store by typing ‘APY and NPS Lite’ in search option.Raising Grievance Under APY.

Subscriber can anytimeraise grievancefree of cost and from anywhere byvisiting:www.npscra.nsdl.co.in>>Home >> select: NPS-Lite

Subscriberraising the grievance willbe allotted atoken numberagainst the grievance raised. Subscribermay check the status of the grievance under “Check the status of Grievance / Enquiry already registered”

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Atal Pension Yojana : Objectives, eligibility, funding

Atal Pension Yojana is a scheme launched on 9th May 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the senior citizens self-reliant after their retirement. The scheme aims to increase the old age income security of the working poor. The Government launched the scheme which came into effect from 1st June 2015. It replaced the Swavalamban Yojana/NPS Lite scheme.

The APY scheme is being administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. It aims to provide a universal social security system for all citizens, especially the poor, the underprivileged and the workers in the unorganized sector.

The Atal Pension plan scheme is open to all citizens of India between 18-40 years of age having a savings bank account in a bank or post-office.

Need for Scheme
Earlier pension schemes of social security were unable to address the peculiar demographic settings of the country. Swavalamban Scheme was not able to cover many people due to ambiguities in benefits. Swavalamban also failed to guarantee a minimum pension provision.

Moreover, the unorganized sector which forms a large chunk of our labor force was not covered in true sense. This all led to the formation of an integrated scheme for this section i.e. Atal Pension Yojana.

Atal Pension Yojana Information can be accessed from below-

APY Desk – Call Centre: 1800 110 069


https://www.theindianwire.com/politics/atal-pension-yojana-214496/

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India Proposed Separating National Pension Scheme Trust From Pension Regulator PFRDA

The government has proposed to separate the National Pension Scheme Trust from pension regulator Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority in order to address issues over conflict of interest. The PFRDA implements and regulates the NPS and Atal Pension Yojana through various intermediaries including, the NPS Trust. The matter of conflict of interest arises as PFRDA is the regulator of the pension sector in India, at the same time it runs pension schemes such as NPS and APY.

“Keeping in view the wider interest of the subscribers and to maintain arm's length relationship of the NPS Trust with PFRDA, steps will be taken to separate the NPS Trust from PFRDA with appropriate organisational structure,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Union Budget 2019-20 presented in Parliament on Friday. The trust was established by the PFRDA for taking care of the assets and funds under the NPS. The proposal to separate the two job roles was under consideration for last few years.

APY, mainly targeting the unorganised sector employees, offers five slabs of pension from Rs 1,000-5,000 per month upon retirement. Employees in the age bracket of 18-40 years can sign up for an APY account. The NPS is a voluntary, defined contribution retirement savings scheme for government employees as well as for those working in the private sector.



https://www.bloombergquint.com/economy-finance/govt-proposes-to-separate-nps-trust-from-pfrda

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Everything you want to know about Atal Pension Yojana in indian

Atal Pension Yojana was introduced to benefit those people in the unorganised sector. The scheme provides financial security for old age and helps people deal with illness, accidents and diseases. The scheme also benefits private sector employees who are not given pension benefits by their company. Under this scheme, the investors get a fixed pension of Rs 1000, Rs 2000, Rs 3000, Rs 4000, or Rs 5000 on attaining an age of 60. The amount depends on the individual’s age and the contribution amount. Interestingly, Atal Pension Yojana had replaced the Swavalamban Yojana, which wasn't very popular among people.

According to the guidelines by the Government of India, the money invested through Atal Pension Yojana scheme is managed by the Pension Funds Regulatory Authority of India (PFRDA). The government would also make a co-contribution of 50% of the total contribution, or Rs 1000 per annum, whichever is lower, to all eligible subscribers who had joined between June 2015 and December 2015 for a period of 5 years i.e., for financial years 2015-16 to 2019-20.

Atal Pension Yojana eligibility:
To get the benefits of Atal Pension Yojana, an individual must:

- Be a citizen of India.

- Be between the age of 18-40.

- Make contributions for a minimum of 20 years.

- Must have a bank account linked with Aadhar.

- Must have a valid mobile number

Atal Pension Yojana: How to apply?

1. Visit any bank and start an account.

2. Download the Atal Pension Yojana form online. The forms are available in English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, and Telugu.

3. Fill the Atal Pension Yojana form and submit it to your bank along with mobile number and a photocopy of your Aadhaar card.

4. You will be sent a confirmation message when the application is approved.

Atal Pension Yojana monthly contributions:

The investors have the option to make contributions for monthly/quarterly/semi-annual intervals. All the contributions are made through auto-debit facility from the savings account of the subscriber. This amount depends upon the amount of pension a subscriber wants to receive upon retirement.

Atal Pension Yojana income tax benefits:

An individual can claim tax benefits up to Rs 1.5 lakh under section 80C as part of Atal Pension Yojana. Additionally, an income tax deduction of up to Rs 50,000 can be availed under the section 80CCD (1B) of the Income Tax Act of 1961.

Atal Pension Yojana important facts:

- The subscribers can increase the premium at their will.

- In case you default on your payments, a penalty of Re 1 per month for a contribution of every Rs 100 or part thereof is levied.

- If the default continues for six months, the account is frozen.

- What is critical to know is hat early Atal Pension Yojana withdrawal is not entertained. The entire amount is only given in case of death or terminal illness.



https://www.zeebiz.com/personal-finance/news-atal-pension-yojana-eligibility-monthly-contributions-how-to-apply-tax-benefits-important-facts-apy-scheme-benefits-pfrda

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PFRDA relaxes NPS exit rules on medical expenses

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has relaxed the exit rules under National Pension System (NPS) on medical grounds for the government employees, subscribers under All Citizen model, corporate model, NPS-Lite and Swavalamban subscribers.

The exit under the NPS is governed by the rules as per the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) Regulations, 2015, which is amended from time to time.

PFRDA has issued a gazette notification relaxing exit guidelines on medical ground, called the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2018.

Government sector subscribers
The exit from NPS for government sector subscribers will be allowed if the employer certifies that the subscriber has been discharged from the services of the concerned office on ..account of invalidation or disability.

Citizens, including corporate sector subscribers

The exit from NPS by citizens, including corporate sector subscribers will be allowed if the subscriber is physically incapacitated or has suffered a bodily disability leading to his incapability to continue with his individual pension account under National Pension System.

In such cases, the exit is allowed subject to the subscriber submitting a disability certificate from a Government surgeon or Doctor (treating such disability or invalidation of subscriber) stating the nature and extent of disability and also certifying that:

a) The subscriber shall not be in a position to perform his regular duties and there is a real possibility of the affected subscriber, being not able to work for the remaining period of his life.; and

b) Percentage of disability is more than seventy five percent in the opinion of such Government surgeon or doctor (treating such disability or invalidation of subscriber)

NPS-Lite and Swavalamban subscribers

The exit from National Pension System by NPS-Lite and Swavalamban subscribers is allowed provided that a subscriber who is physically incapacitated or has suffered a bodily disability leading to his incapability to continue with his individual pension account under National Pension System.

The exit in such cases shall be subject to the subscriber submitting a disability certificate from a Government surgeon or doctor (treating such disability or invalidation of subscriber) stating the nature and extent of disability and also certifying that:

a) The subscriber shall not be in a position to perform his regular duties and there is a real possibility of the affected subscriber, being not able to work for the remaining period of his life.; and

b) Percentage of disability is more than seventy-five percent in the opinion of such Government surgeon or doctor (treating such disability or invalidation of subscriber).

Partial withdrawals

Further, a subscriber is already permitted to withdraw not more than 25 percent of one's own contribution after being a subscriber for at least ten years in NPS for specific needs such as higher education, home purchase, marriage or critical illness needs. The new rule allows such partial withdrawals to meet medical and incidental expenses arising out of the disability or incapacitation suffered by the subscriber. In case of disability, one can partially withdraw even without exiting.

//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/62792368.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

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Swavalamban subscribers of micro-pension scheme can switch to APY: PFRDA

MUMBAI: Subscribers of micro-pension scheme 'Swavalamban', which closes tomorrow, can switch to the 'Atal pension Yojana' (APY) and retain the government's co-contribution, a PFRDA official said today.

'Swavalamban' scheme, which was launched by the UPA government in 2010-11, is a government-backed micro-pension scheme aimed at the unorganised sector and applicable to those who joined the National Pension Scheme (NPS).

Under the scheme, the government contributes Rs 1,000 per year to each NPS account for the first four years.

"However, this co-contribution of Rs 1,000 per annum by the government will not be there for the subscribers of both micro-pension schemes 'Swavalamban' and NPS Lite, which have together got 44 lakh subscribers under their fold and total assets under management of Rs 2,083 crore at present, from April 1 onwards," a senior official of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) told PTI.

"This 'Swavalamban' scheme has been replaced with APY which was launched in June last year and hence we are not accepting any fresh subscription under 'Swavalamban' scheme since then.

"PFRDA is offering to continue the government's co-contribution of Rs 1,000 per annum for next three years to all those 'Swavalamban' subscribers who opt to shift to APY from April 1," the official added.

Unlike 'Swavalamban', which was open to all those working in the unorganised sector, APY is applicable only to workers in the age group of 18-40 years.

APY has around 22 lakh subscribers and assets under management of Rs 492 crore.

Pension fund managers believe that the replacement of 'Swavalamban' scheme with APY will help them do more business.

"We at SBI Pension Funds do hope to see a similar or even better business growth due to PFRDA's decision to replace 'Swavalamban' scheme with APY in future," SBI Pension Funds' Chief Executive Shailendra Kumar said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/51619196.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

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NPS shoot up 50% to Rs.1,07,802 crore as on December-end 2015

Thanks to the introduction of the Atal Pension Yojana, the National Pension System has seen a 43 per cent year-on-year jump in the number of subscribers to 1.13 crore as of December-end 2015, from about 79 lakh as of December-end 2014.

Increasing awareness among individuals about the need for financial security and stability during old age via pension has also seen the assets under management (AUM) of NPS shoot up 50 per cent to ₹1,07,802 crore as on December-end 2015 from about ₹72,000 crore as on December-end 2014.

The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was launched on May 9, 2015 as a retirement savings product for the unorganised sector under the aegis of the National Pension System (NPS). Up to December-end 2015, about 18 lakh subscribers joined APY and their contributions amounted to ₹262 crore, according to Finance Ministry data. Under the APY, subscribers will receive a guaranteed minimum pension, ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 a month, at the age of 60, depending on their contributions, which itself would be based on the age of joining the scheme.

Minimum age

The minimum age for joining the APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years. Therefore, minimum period of contribution by any subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more.

The NPS has five schemes — three meant for employees of the Central government, State government, and private sector; NPS-Lite (meant for the poor and unorganised class of citizens); and APY.

As of December-end 2015, the AUM under the Central government (NPS has been made mandatory for all new recruits to the government — except armed forces — with effect from January 1, 2004) and State government categories accounted for about 90 per cent of the overall corpus of ₹1,07,802 crore. The AUM under the private sector and NPS-Lite categories stood at ₹8,887 crore and ₹1,988 crore, respectively. The NPS is a voluntary, defined contribution retirement savings scheme designed to enable the subscribers to make optimum decisions regarding their future through systematic savings during their working life.

Under the NPS, individual savings are pooled into a pension fund. These funds are invested by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) regulated professional fund managers as per the approved investment guidelines into a diversified portfolio comprising government bonds, bills, corporate debentures and shares. These contributions would grow and accumulate over the years, depending on the returns earned on the investment made.

At the time of normal exit from NPS, the subscribers can use the accumulated pension wealth under the scheme to purchase a life annuity from a PFRDA empanelled life insurance company, apart from withdrawing a part of the accumulated pension wealth as lump-sum.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/aum-under-national-pension-system-rises-50-to-over-1-lakh-cr-in-dec-15/article8586294.ece

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