In a major announcement on Monday, the Centre said that senior citizens above 70 will now be covered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The scheme will benefit approximately 4.5 crore families, including 6 crore senior citizens.
The govt also approved financial support for electric vehicles under a new scheme as well as a Rs 70,125 crore upgrade and construction plan for rural roads and Rs 12,461 crore to support the development of hydropower projects of 31,350 MW capacity.
These were some of the big ticket announcements taken by the cabinet chaired by PM Modi on Wednesday.
Ayushman Bharat Cover
Making the announcement during the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “This is a very big decision and has humanitarian thinking in it. PM Modi has fulfilled his commitment today.”
According to the initial outlay of the scheme will be Rs 3,437 crore. “This is a demand-based scheme; as the demand goes up, the coverage will also be increased,” said Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while announcing the cabinet decision.
EV Push
The PM E-Drive Scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for 2 years to boost adoption of EVs, replacing the FAME programme that ran for 9 years till March.
PM Modi said on X, “This will boost green mobility and help us build a sustainable future.”
Rural Roads
The cabinet approved implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana: IV from FY 25 To FY 29. The assistance will be provided for the construction of 62,500 km of roads for providing connectivity to eligible 25,000 unconnected habitations and construction and upgradation of bridges.
Mission Mausam
The cabinet also approved ‘Mission Mausam’ with an outlay of ₹2,000 crore over two years. The mission, led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, aims to enhance research and development in atmospheric sciences and improve weather forecasting and management. The initiative will integrate advanced observation systems, high-performance computing, and technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to set new standards in weather prediction.
