Puducherry: Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy launched the PMJAY scheme in the union territory on Saturday, saying the scheme would cover 1.03 lakh people in the first phase in the Below Poverty Line category.

Steps would be taken to ensure that the Ayushman Bharat-Pradan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana was extended to cover more than three lakh poor families to ensure that those suffering from critical ailments received health insurance of Rs 5 lakh for treatment, he said.

In the first phase, the Central government has made available a grant of Rs 1.2 crore, while the Puducherry government’s share was Rs 80 lakh, he said. Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services K V Raman and senior health department officials were among those present.