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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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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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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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

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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

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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

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