PM launches sickle cell anemia eradication mission; says 'family-centric' Cong and others giving fake guarantees

Shahdol (MP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission 2047 by unveiling a portal and also released a guideline for the management of the disease and different modules for its monitoring.

At a function held at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, the prime minister took a swipe at the opposition and asked people to beware of "fake guarantees" being given by "family-centric" political parties including Congress.

“Beware of those (parties) who are giving fake guarantees. Such people have brought schemes of guarantees despite they don’t have their own (political) guarantee,” Modi said.

He said, "Family-centric parties including Congress are hobnobbing together".

On the occasion, Modi started the distribution of more than 3 crore digital Ayushman cards in the country and one crore PVC Ayushman Bharat cards in MP.

He announced that Rani Durgavati’s 500th birth anniversary will be celebrated across India and stamps will be released.

The prime minister distributed Sickle Cell colour-coded counselling cards to a few beneficiaries. He also handed over Ayushman cards and PVC Ayushman Bharat cards physically to some beneficiaries.

The National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission (NSCAEM), which aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population, was announced in the Union Budget 2023.

Modi said that Ayushman Card is a guarantee of Rs 5 lakh treatment in hospitals.

"It is the guarantee of Modi," he added.

"The government aims to eradicate sickle cell anemia from India in a mission mode by 2047," Modi said, adding that half of the total number of persons affected by this disease in the world are in India.