With an eye on the 2018 general elections, India unveiled Medicare – the world’s biggest healthcare scheme – on February 1.

In his fifth and final full-budget ahead of next year’s polls, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the mega scheme which is likely to benefit half a billion of the country’s poorest.

Under the National Health Protection Scheme the poor will be provided up to Rs 500,000 per family for healthcare.

“We are all aware that lakhs of families in our country have to borrow or sell assets to receive indoor treatment in hospitals. Government is seriously concerned about such impoverishment of poor and vulnerable families,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in his speech.

India has been spending less than 1 per cent GDP on healthcare, but wants to take it up to 2.5 per cent by 2022. Most government hospitals lack infrastructure or expertise and private healthcare is expensive, beyond the reach of the poor.

The scheme hopes to change that by promoting healthcare, emphasising on preventive healthcare and improving the quality of medical education.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this was the world’s largest government-funded healthcare programme.

“This budget is farmer-friendly, common citizen-friendly, business environment- friendly and development-friendly. It will add to ease of living,” Modi said after Jaitley presented the 2018-19 Budget in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Parliament.

However, many are seeing Modi government’s budget as populist – launching itself into election mode.

Apart from the 2019 general elections, three northeastern states are to go to polls soon. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress Party are slated to have a heated contest in four states – Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

In his defence, Jaitley told the public broadcaster Doordarshan that the budget is not quite aimed at short-term measures.

“The Prime Minister is not in for momentary populism. This budget has two items which have a huge social impact – 50% over and above cost as far as the farmer is concerned and healthcare or Modicare. This is a part of the prime minister’s philosophy,” The Minti quoted Jaitley as saying to Doordarshan.

“We all are worried about farmers and are working to double their income. We need to work on rural roads, toilets, electricity, health for the poor and work on giving the farmer a good price for the produce,” he added.

However, the Opposition Congress Party is not buying this argument easily.

Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari told NDTV, “….What kind of a fraud are you doing.”