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

Read More

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

Read More

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/

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

Atal Pension Yojana: Regulator Eyes 70 Lakh New Subscribers in India

NEW DELHI: Pension regulator PFRDA is hopeful of enrolling at least 60-70 lakh new subscribers this fiscal to its Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a micro pension product primarily targeted at the unorganised sector. Since the launch of APY in July last year,  the number of subscribers for this product has touched 20 lakhs.

After more than three-hour long discussion with officers of public sector banks, post offices and micro finance, Hemant Contractor, Chairman of PFRDA said, “We are confident of doing much better this year as nearly 1,47,000 offices would distribute APY this year.”

The major concern the that was being raised by banks, post offices and micro finance institutions were the product requires lot of awareness among people and stressed the need for training of officers as well.   

Contractor’s optimism also came from the likely push that postal department for this product this fiscal. “About 20,000 post offices that are already networked under an IT platform (CBS) will start distributing APY. This will be big boost for APY,” Contractor said.

India Post had started APY distribution only from December last year. As on date, only about 1,000 post offices are offering APY, he said. Contractor said that 2015-16 saw huge response from individual subscribers with a record 1.3 lakh new subscribers opting for this products. This was more than the aggregate level recorded for the previous four years.

“The additional tax break of Rs 50,000 has been a real kicker. It has boosted interest in NPS,” the regulator  added.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/news/Atal-Pension-Yojana-Regulator-Eyes-70-Lakh-New-Subscribers/2016/04/13/article3377821.ece

Read More

Atal Pension Yojana eligible for tax benefits as National Pension System

Contributions to the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) will now be eligible for the same tax benefits as the National Pension System (NPS), according to a circular released by the Income Tax department on Tuesday. The tax benefits include the additional deduction of Rs 50,000 under section 80CCD(1) introduced in last year's budget.

The APY is open to Indians aged between 18 and 40 years and has a minimum tenure of 20 years. Nearly 20 lakh subscribers have joined the scheme since its launch in June 2015. The APY replaced the NPS Lite or Swavalamban scheme, which got about 45 lakh subscribers in the past six years.

The biggest draw of the APY is that the government will contribute 50% of the contribution made by the investor for a period of five years. But this benefit will only go to subscribers who put in less than Rs 1,000 a year and those who join the scheme before 31 March 2016. Those with taxable income are also not eligible.

Most subscribers to the APY are small-ticket investors. Its AUM of Rs 328 crore is spread across 19.77 lakh accounts, so the average balance per account is only Rs 1,640. In comparison, the NPS Lite, which benefited from the market rally since 2010, has about Rs 1,982 crore lying in 44.63 lakh accounts, an average of Rs 4,440 per account.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/invest/atal-pension-yojana-eligible-for-same-tax-benefits-as-national-pension-system/articleshow/51108260.cms

Read More

NPS to submit applications online for settlement of withdrawal claims from April 1: PFRDA

Pension fund regulator PFRDA has made it mandatory for the subscribers of New Pension System (NPS) to submit applications online for settlement of withdrawal claims from April 1 next year.

According to a PFRDA directive, no request in physical form would be entertained with effect from April 1, 2016.

"It has...Been decided that with effect from April 1, 2016 only such withdrawal requests raised on online platform will be accepted at CRA (Central Recordkeeping Agency) system for further processing.

"Physical withdrawal request forms received at CRA will not be accepted for further processing," the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority said.

NSDL is the CRA for the NPS. A subscriber can exit NPS due to superannuation, premature exit and death.

PFRDA said it is committed to support the 'Digital India' campaign of the government and efforts were being made to make various NPS related services available on online platform.

Making withdrawal process online wherein subscribers can raise withdrawal request using online platform is one of the such initiatives, it said.

"This will make withdrawal process paperless to a great extent and seamless and exit claims of the subscribers can be settled in least possible time," it said.

NPS has been implemented for all government employees (except armed forces) joining Central Government on or after January 1, 2004.

Most of the State/UT Governments have also notified the NPS for their new employees. NPS has been made available to every Indian Citizen from May 2009 on a voluntary basis.

Further, from June 2015, the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), has been launched which has given the much required impetus to the social security schemes.

NPS and APY together have more than one crore subscribers with total Asset Under Management of more than Rs 1 lakh crore.

Meanwhile the retirement fund body EPFO is also in the process of providing facility of filing PF withdrawal claims online with an ultimate aim to process such applications with 24 hours of receiving it.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/apply-online-for-nps-withdrawals-from-april-next-pfrda-115112200197_1.html

Read More

National Pension System (NPS) has soared to Rs 90,327 crore with the 1.15 crore subscribers

The total corpus of National Pension System (NPS) has soared to Rs 90,327 crore with the contribution of nearly 1.15 crore subscribers, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. The total assets under management (AUM) are worth Rs 1.09 lakh crore while AUM per subscriber on average is Rs 95,000, a finance ministry statement said. "NPS had 1.15 crore subscribers with a total corpus of Rs 90,327 crore as on January 23, 2016," it said.

NPS subscribers of central government are 14.1 percent of the total subscribers while that of the state governments are 24.9 percent. The number of NPS subscribers in the central government is 16.11 lakh with a total corpus of Rs 34,754 crore. State governments contribute Rs 45,486 crore to the corpus, from their 28.59 lakh subscribers. There are 4.48 lakh NPS subscribers in the corporate sector and 1.28 lakh in the unorganised sector. The number of subscribers under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) 19.48 lakh. The pension fund regulatory body (PFRDA) completed two years of its statutory status on February 1, 2016 and to mark this occasion, it is observing NPS Service Week from February 1-6.

During the NPS Service Week, PFRDA will create awareness about the scheme, take efforts to reduce subscribers' grievances, update subscriber details and advise subscribers regarding benefits associated with Permanent Retirement Account among others. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will also organise a Pension Conclave on February 4.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/nps-corpus-swells-to-rs-90327-cr115-cr-subscribers_5266501.html

Read More

New crop insurance Fasal Bima Yojana a boost for farmers : PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet today, as a boost to the farmers across the country.

In a series of tweets, Mr Modi said it was government’s gift to the farmers on the occasion of festivals of Lohri, Pongal and Bihu.
He expressed confidence that the new Crop Insurance Scheme will bring about a major transformation in the lives of farmers, saying it expands the definition of disaster and addresses whatever was lacking in the existing programmes.

“Farmer brothers and sisters, at a time when you are celebrating festivals like Lohri, Pongal and Bihu, the government has given you a gift in the form of Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme,” he tweeted hours after the Cabinet cleared the proposal.

“This is a historic day. I am confident that this scheme, which is inspired by the consideration of farmers’ benefit, will bring about a major transformation to the lives of farmers,” Modi added.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said the scheme includes successful aspects of the existing schemes and “effectively addresses” whatever was lacking in those schemes.

“The scheme has the lowest premium, it entails easy usage of technology like mobile phone, quick assessment of damage and disbursement within a timeframe,” he said.

The definition of disaster has been expanded to include aspects like flooding of crop and damage after harvest, Modi said, adding that “special attention” has been paid to several other aspects.
“It is easy to subscribe to the scheme and easy to benefit. So, do join it,” he told the farmers,

In order to provide relief to drought-hit farmers, the government today announced a new Rs 8,800 crore crop insurance scheme, with significantly lower premium, to cover for loss of crop to natural calamities.

Farmers will pay only 2 per cent of the premium fixed by insurance company for kharif foodgrains/oilseeds crops and 1.5 per cent for rabi foodgrains/oilseeds crops under thePradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

http://www.centralchronicle.com/pradhan-mantri-fasal-bima-yojana-a-boost-for-farmers-pm.html

Read More

How to open NPS Account online in eNPS?

National Pension System – How to open an online NPS account – Step by Step by procedure discussed.

Government of India under National Pension System Trust enables opening online account.  The procedure for opening such account is given below:

• Opening of Individual Pension Account under NPS (only Tier I / Tier I & Tier II)
•  Making initial and subsequent contribution to your Tier I as well as Tier II account

For Account opening, you need to:

✔  Have a PAN Card, mobile number, email ID and an active bank account with enabled net baking facility

✔  Fill up all the mandatory details online

✔  Scan and upload your photograph and signature

✔  Make online payment (Minimum amount of Rs 500)

✔  Print the form, paste photograph & affix signature and submit the Form to CRA

Kindly note that the eNPS facility can not be used for enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

Click here for online eNPS website

To open an Individual Pension account online.

National Pension Scheme Registration

✔  You must have a ‘Permanent Account Number’ (PAN) and a Bank account with any of the registered Point of Presence empanelled for KYC verification for subscriber registration through NPS

✔  Your KYC Verification in NPS will be done by your Bank selected by you during the registration process.

✔  You need to upload your scanned photograph and signature in *.jpeg/*.jpg format having file size between 4kb – 12kb.

✔  You will be routed to a payment gateway for making the payment towards your NPS account from Debit / Credit card or Internet Banking.

After successful payment of initial contribution, a Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) will be allotted to you. After online account opening process is completed,

➤  The PRAN Kit containing a PRAN Card, IPIN/TPIN, Subscriber Master Report, Scheme Information Booklet alongwith a Welcome Letter will be sent to your registered address.

➤  You need to take a printout of the form, paste your photograph (please do not sign across the photograph) & affix signature.

➤  You should sign on the block provided for signature.

➤  The photograph should not be stapled or clipped to the form.

➤  The form should be sent within 90 days from the date of allotment of PRAN to CRA at the following address or else the PRAN will be ‘frozen’ temporarily:

Central Recordkeeping Agency (eNPS),
NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited,
1st Floor, Times Tower, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg,
Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400 013

Please note that registration for APY cannot be done through www.enps.nsdl.com. For registration under APY please contact your Bank Branch.

Processing of subsequent nps contribution:

All existing subscribers (registered through both online and offline mode) can contribute in Tier I & Tier II account using ‘eNPS’. To contribute online, you need to

✔  Have an active Tier I / Tier II account

✔  Authenticate your PRAN using the OTP sent to your registered mobile number

✔  Pay through your Debit / Credit card or use Internet Banking option.

For queries please contact : 022 – 4090 4242 or write to: eNPS@nsdl.co.in

Read More