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Representational Image (Photo: Bloomberg)
The Union Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, approved a series of significant initiatives spanning many sectors, including health, electric mobility, rural infrastructure, and renewable energy.
Among the biggest decisions, the Cabinet approved allocation of Rs 10,900 crore for the third iteration of the FAME scheme (in a new avatar) for electric vehicles (EVs), and gave its nod to the health insurance cover under Ayushman Bharat for all Indian citizens aged 70 or above. These decisions come days before this National Democratic Alliance government completes 100 days.
A highlight of the meeting was approval for the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme, a long-anticipated follow-up to the now-concluded FAME programme, which ended in March 2024 after nine years of operation.
The new scheme, with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for two years, will provide subsidy support to a wide range of EVs, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses, trucks, and ambulances. But the scheme notably omits electric cars, which were previously covered under the FAME programme.
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A key feature of the PM E-DRIVE is the introduction of Aadhaar-authenticated e-vouchers, which will now be required to claim subsidies. Additionally, the scheme aims to establish 88,500 charging stations, announced Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The minister informed that PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme for procurement and operation of e-buses by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) has an outlay of Rs 3,435 crore to support the roll-out of 38,000 e-buses.
In a move to enhance health care for the elderly, the Cabinet also approved the extension of health insurance cover under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their income levels — a major poll promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
With an initial outlay of Rs 3,437 crore, the expanded scheme aims to benefit 60 million senior citizens with Rs 5 lakh free health insurance cover.
Rural development received a significant push with the green light for the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). With an estimated outlay of Rs 70,125 crore over five years starting from 2024-25, the government has set a target to construct 62,500 km of rural roads, linking 25,000 unconnected habitations.
The Cabinet also renewed its scheme of enabling infrastructure creation for hydropower projects by allocating Rs 12,461 crore and revising the target to over 30 Gw of hydropower capacity by 2031-32.
First Published: Sep 11 2024 | 10:11 PM IS
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