The Union Finance Minister has announced that gig workers will now be eligible for healthcare benefits under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). 

Who are Gig Workers?

• Gig workers are individuals engaged in short-term, flexible jobs outside of traditional, long-term employer-employee relationships. 
  • They typically work in the informal sector, earning income on a task-by-task basis.
• Common examples include platform-based workers who provide services such as food delivery (e.g., Zomato, Swiggy) or work for e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.

Key Measures in the Budget for Gig Workers

• Inclusion in PM JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana): Gig and platform workers will now be covered under  PM JAY health insurance scheme.
  • This provides financial protection for secondary and tertiary healthcare expenses, covering up to Rs. 5 lakh annually.
• Registration on the e-Shram Portal: Gig workers will be registered on the e-Shram portal, a platform for informal workers.
  • This initiative will make it easier for Gig workers to access various government welfare schemes.

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Benefits under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana

• AB-PMJAY provides a defined benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. 
  • This cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures.
• Eligibility criteria: AB-PMJAY is an entitlement-based scheme with entitlement decided based on deprivation criteria in the SECC database.
• Hospitals Covered: The beneficiaries can benefit from public and empanelled private facilities. 
  • All public hospitals in the States implementing AB-PMJAY will be deemed empanelled for the Scheme. 
  • It includes pre and post-hospitalisation expenses. 
• Pre-existing Conditions: Will be covered from day one of the policy. 
• Cashless Benefits: Beneficiaries can take cashless benefits across the country.

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