Modi to launch national sickle cell anaemia elimination mission from Madhya Pradesh tomorrow

New Delhi: Just three days after his visit to poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state again tomorrow (July 1), where he will launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission from Shahdol district.

Modi will attend a public programme in Shahdol, where he will launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission.

He will also distribute sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries. The mission aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population.

The launch will mark a crucial milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047. The National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission was announced in the Union Budget, 2023.

This will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high focused states in the country namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

The prime minister will also kick-start the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh.

The ceremony for the distribution of Ayushman cards is being organised at urban bodies, gram panchayats and Development blocks across the state. During the programme, Modi will honour Rani Durgavati, who was the queen of Gondwana in the mid 16th century.

She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals, official sources said.

Later, Prime Minister Modi will visit Pakaria village of Shahdol district at around 5 p.m. and interact with leaders of tribal community, self-help groups, leaders of PESA [Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996] committees and captains of village football Clubs. On June 27, while addressing BJP workers in Bhopal, Modi had pitched for the implementation of uniform civil code, an issue on which the BJP has long been betting. Madhya Pradesh is slated for assembly elections in December this year.