Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government at the Centre intends to extend Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for another five years. As a first step, the Union Cabinet has extended the PMDP in health sector till March 31, 2020 by providing budgetary support of Rs 625.20 crore as total Centrally-funded scheme.
The Union Cabinet that met today in New Delhi, chaired by Modi, also extended the National Health Mission up to March 31, 2020.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Cabinet has also approved continuation of the Prime Minister’s Development Package for Jammu & Kashmir 2015 by “Stepping up of support under creation of Infrastructure in District Hospitals, Sub-district Hospitals and Primary Health Centers over 5 years” – with effect from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020 with a budgetary support of Rs. 625.20 crores as total Centrally-funded scheme.
“This will give a major boost to development of health infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir especially in the rural and far off areas,” sources said.
Commenting on the major initiative taken by the Centre Government for Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending the PMDP for a period of five years in health sector.
“#Jammu #Kashmir package to continue. Thanks PM Sh @NarendraModi ,” Dr Jitendra Singh tweeted.
Modi had announced Rs 80,000 crores worth PMDP for Jammu and Kashmir on November 7, 2015, which has subsequently gone up to Rs one lakh crore due to cost escalation of many projects in both Central and State sectors.
Sources said the Centre proposed to extend the PMDP in all sectors for five years in Jammu and Kashmir to help the State Government complete all projects and utilize the package completely.
“The PMDP would be extended sector-wise,” sources said, adding that “in the initial phase, the Package has been extended in the health sector and this will be followed by extension in other sectors”.
According to sources, almost all the sectors have been beneficiaries of the PMDP.
The State Government had pointed out some difficulties in meeting deadlines for some of the projects in view of “limited working season” in major parts of Jammu and Kashmir and reluctance of some major companies to take up work due to “disturbed conditions” etc, sources, however, said the Centre has asked the State to regularly monitor progress under the PMDP to ensure timely completion of the projects so that their cost doesn’t escalate further.
Sources said the Centre Government has so far sanctioned Rs 62,236 crores out of Rs 80,068 crores worth PMDP. However, latest estimates had revealed that cost of the PMDP has increased from Rs 80,068 crores to around Rs one lakh crore due to delay in execution of projects, leading to massive escalation of cost.
Sources pointed out it was not only the Jammu and Kashmir Government whose projects were missing timelines but even major projects, which have been undertaken by the Central Government Corporations and Departments in the Central sector, were also getting delayed.
Top officers of the Central Corporations like National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC), National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) and other companies, whose officials were executing power projects, have also been recently directed by the MHA to accelerate the projects.
Sources said there has been an increase of about Rs 21,000 crores in the PMDP due to revised cost of various projects, which were either under execution or were in the process of being taken up and the Centre Government has briefed State leadership that they would bear increased cost of the projects.
Sources said the cost of major projects like under-construction and upcoming National Highways and roads, power projects etc has gone up drastically during the last over two years prompting the Centre Government to revise cost of the PMDP and increase it to facilitate construction of the approved projects.
Not ruling out more increase in cost of the projects, sources pointed out that delay in start of two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Smart Cities for Jammu and Srinagar and some other mega Projects could further increase cost of the PMDP.
However, they said, cost of the projects would be revised later especially when work starts on them and the executing agencies are in a position to work out their enhanced cost in view of delay.
Meanwhile, the Govern-ment today gave its nod for the launch of ‘Ayushman Bharat’ – National Health Protection Mission to provide a cover of Rs 5 lakh annually to 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
“The scheme has the benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. The target beneficiaries of the proposed scheme will be more than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population based on SECC database.
“AB-NHPM will subsume the on-going Centrally Sponsored Schemes -Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS),” an official statement read.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the scheme touted as the world’s largest Government funded health care programme.
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