PM to launch Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission today
BHOPAL: In a week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit poll-bound Madhya Pradesh second time on July 1, during his tour, he will kickstart a nationwide mission to eradicate ‘Sickle Cell Anaemia’ disease and launch an Ayushman Card distribution campaign, from Shahdol.
It is considered that the Madhya Pradesh government has taken the initiative to eliminate the disease, which is witnessed particularly among the tribal community, later the central government proposed it in the Union Budget-2023, which aims to address the pressing health challenges of sickle cell disease.
The initiative, National Elimination Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission-2047, will be launched nationwide from the tribal-dominated region of Shahdol by the Prime Minister across the country.
At around 3:30 PM, Prime Minister will attend a public programme in Shahdol, where he will also distribute sickle cell genetic status cards to 2 lakh beneficiaries of 20 tribal-dominated districts of the state.
This will be the second visit of PM Modi in a week to the state where the Assembly elections are due later this year. He visited MP on June 27 to flag off five new Vande Bharat Express trains and to attend a booth-level BJP workers event, however, his tour had also been scheduled to Shahdol but due to the warning of heavy rain, his programme was postponed.
The mission will be implemented in 278 districts across 17 high-focused states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand. MP has more than 21 per cent tribal population and the step is considered a big move of the ruling BJP to woo the community voters ahead of the five states Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During the visit, PM Modi will inaugurate the PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)-made Ayushman Bharat Cards distribution campaign. More than 1 crore cards will be distributed across the state. The distribution ceremony will take place at urban bodies, gram panchayats and development blocks across the state under the campaign.
“During the programme, Prime Minister will honour tribal queen Rani Durgavati, who is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior, who fought for freedom against the Mughals. PM Modi will also visit Pakaria village in Shahdol district around 5 PM. There, he will interact with leaders from the tribal community, Self-Help Groups, PESA committees, and captains of Village Football Clubs.
