The mission aims to address pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly by the tribal population.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi [File Photo]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh on Saturday and launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Shahdol. He will also distribute sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries.
The mission aims to address pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly by the tribal population. The launch of the Mission will mark a crucial milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.
The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2023. This will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high focused states in the country namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
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The prime minister will also kickstart the distribution of about 3.57 crore cards of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Madhya Pradesh.
The ceremony for the distribution of the cards is being organised at urban bodies, gram panchayats and Development Blocks across the state. The Ayushman card distribution campaign is a step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision of reaching out to every beneficiary to ensure 100 per cent saturation of welfare schemes.
During the programme, the prime minister will honour Rani Durgavati, who was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century. She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals.
In a unique initiative, the Prime Minister will visit Pakaria village of Shahdol district at around 5 PM and interact with leaders of tribal community, Self-Help Groups, leaders of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) committees and Captains of Village Football Clubs.
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