Board Ayushman Bharat, PM Narendra Modi tells Left govt in Kerala

While addressing a public meeting in Kerala’s Guruvayur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested Left-ruled Kerala government to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the state. PM said, “Kerala government has refused to connect with Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Today I publicly request them to allow the residents of Kerala the benefits of this scheme.”

Ayushman Bharat Yojana is a Centrally-sponsored scheme launched in 2018, which aims to address healthcare issues by providing coverage up to Rs 5 lakh to the needy.

The PM said political parties and pundits failed to gauge the public mood ahead of the Lok Sabha election and thanked the electorate for reposing confidence in BJP.

Back in office after coming to power for a successive second term, Modi said he visited Kerala despite having no MP from the state since it was as dear to him as his constituency Varanasi in UP.

Terming the just-concluded LS polls a “festival of democracy,” Modi lauded and thanked the Kerala electorate for their contribution to it.

The country has seen that “people are God” in elections, he said at the ‘Abhinandan Sabha’ organised by the BJP’s Kerala unit.

Earlier, he offered prayers at the famed Lord Krishna temple here. “Political parties and political pundits could not gauge people’s mood. So did those involved in conducting (poll) surveys. But people gave a strong mandate to the BJP,” he said and thanked the voters for choosing his party.

“The 2019 LS polls marked a victory for positivity and a resounding rejection of negativity. With this spirit, let us all work together to build a new India,” PM Modi said.

Traditional Attire

• PM Modi opted for the traditional attire of Kerala for a visit to the state’s Thrissur on Saturday. 
• Modi was clad in a white ‘mundu’ and cream half-sleeved shirt on his arrival. 
• As per rules, men have to wear ‘mundu’ to enter the holy abode, and for top, they can be bare-chested or opt for a ‘melmundu’.

—With inputs from Agencies