New Delhi: The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), that aims to provide quality healthcare to villagers, Monday saw its budget allocation increased by Rs.2,057 crore.
Describing the NRHM as an "essential instrument for achieving goal of health for all", Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech proposed "an increase of Rs.2,057 crore over and above Rs. 12,070 crore provided in the interim budget" he had presented before the general elections earlier this year.
The flagship programme of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the NRHM was launched in 2005. The aim was to improve the availability and access to quality healthcare for people living in remote areas.
The main focus is on 18 states that have weak public health infrastructures - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
The finance minister in his 2009-10 budget also increased by 40 percent the allocation for the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), the health insurance plan that was launched last year.
"More than 46 lakh BPL (Below Poverty Line) families in 18 states and UTs (union territories) have been issued biometric smart cards," for the scheme, the finance minister said in his speech.
He said this scheme "empowers poor families by giving them freedom of choice for using healthcare services from an extensive list of hospitals including private hospitals.
"Government proposes to bring all BPL families under this scheme. An amount of Rs.350 crore, marking 40 percent increase over the previous allocation, is being provided in 2009-10 budget estimates," he said.
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