New Delhi, As on February 28, a total of 11.69 crore hospital admissions across the country, amounting to ₹1.73 lakh crore, have been authorised under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana , Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.. Hospital treatments worth ₹1.73 lakh crore sanctioned under Ayushman Bharat, Rajya Sabha told. Out of these, 4.40 crore hospital admissions amounting to ₹68,302.23 crore were authorised during the last two financial years FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25.. The significant utilisation of the scheme indicates that eligible beneficiaries are availing the benefit to access healthcare services, thereby reducing their out-of-pocket expenditure, Jadhav said in a written reply.. The AB-PMJAY provides health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 12 crore families constituting the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.. In March 2024, approximately 37 lakh families of accredited social health activists, and Anganwadi workers and helpers were included under the scheme. The scheme was further expanded to cover six crore senior citizens of age 70 years and above, belonging to 4.5 crore families irrespective of their socio-economic status.. As on February 28,a total of 43.52 crore Ayushman cards have been created, including 1.14 crore cards created under the Ayushman Vay Vandana category for senior citizens aged 70 years and above, Jadhav stated.. Also, a total of 36,229 hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme across the country, of which 19,483 are public and 16,746 are private hospitals.. Since the launch of the scheme, the health benefit packages have been revised five times.. Initially, the scheme included 1,391 packages, but the latest Health Benefit Package 2022, comprises 1,961 packages across 27 specialties. This includes packages for chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases, Jadhav said.. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. 

 Over 1,000 vehicles were reportedly stranded near the South Portal of the Atal Tunnel after sudden heavy snowfall hit Manali and the upper reaches of Kullu district, prompting a large-scale rescue and snow clearance operation, officials said.. Tourist vehicles stand stuck in traffic amid fresh snowfall at Atal Tunnel Rohtang near Manali, in Kullu on Monday. (Ajay Kumar). Heavy snowfall has been impacting traffic at the tunnel since Monday afternoon and snow clearance operations by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are underway at the South Portal, news agency ANI reported on Tuesday.. “Since yesterday afternoon, there has been heavy snowfall at Atal Tunnel in Manali and the upper reaches of the district, and since yesterday itself, BRO’s operation is being enforced at the south portal of the tunnel,” Deputy Commissioner of Kullu, Anurag Chand Sharma was quoted as saying.. Also Read | 1,500 vehicles stranded near Atal Tunnel cleared. Police deployed to ensure safety and help. Manali and surrounding areas were blanketed in fresh snow, covering houses and mountains, while higher reaches across the state also recorded snowfall.. Khadrala in Shimla district received 10.2 cm, Kalpa 6.4 cm, Gondhla and Jot around 3 cm each, and Kukumseri 1.5 cm.. Thunderstorms and lightning were reported in several areas, including Shimla, Kufri, Jubberhatti, Kangra and Sundernagar, with parts of Shimla district also witnessing hailstorms.. According to the IMD, a fresh western disturbance is expected to impact northwest India from the night of March 17, with its effects likely in Himachal Pradesh between March 18 and March 21.. An Orange Alert has been issued for March 18 and 19, warning of hailstorms and thunderstorms in districts including Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Kangra and Sirmaur.. Tourists stranded in nearby areas too. “Some colleagues and I reached the Atal Tunnel to assist as we got the news of tourists being stranded,” said Dhanraj, a taxi driver, PTI reported.. He said they have been evacuating tourists in 4×4 vehicles, adding that most of those stranded have now been safely moved from the area.. “(We are) Stranded here since Saturday night and now gradually being moved towards Manali. There are no arrangements for food or drinking water,” said Prem Lal, a stranded driver.. A tourist said he was provided food by social organisations working in Sissu.. “We set out from Manali towards Keylong on Saturday when the snowfall was light. But on return, the snowfall intensified significantly, and we have been stranded here since Sunday evening. But now vehicles are being evacuated from the area,” said Amit, a commuter. 

 A woman died after drowning when she fell into a drain after the collapse of an iron bridge in north Delhi’s Roop Nagar on Tuesday morning.. Rescue teams from the Boat Club are conducting an operation to check if more people may have fallen into the drain after the bridge gave way. (HT). Rescue teams from the Boat Club are conducting an operation to check if more people may have fallen into the drain after the bridge gave way, HT has learnt.. This incident comes after a series of pit-related deaths reported across the national capital this year, indicating a lack of basic safety measures put in place under contract rules and traffic police conditions for road work in several areas.. Kamal Dhyani, a 25-year-old bank telecaller, died in west Delhi’s Janakpuri in the early hours of February 5, reportedly after falling into a 4-5-metre-deep pit that had been left open and without safety cover on a poorly lit road. Delhi Police has arrested a contractor who had dug the pit as part of a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) project in Janakpuri.. More details are awaited. 

 Chennai, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami has claimed that the current DMK regime has transformed Tamil Nadu into a “hub of drug trafficking” and alleged that people wonder if the state government was protecting the innocent public or “shielding the anti-social elements”.. DMK regime made TN a hub of drug trafficking, claims AIADMK chief Palaniswami. After M K Stalin took over the reins as Chief Minister in 2021, Tamil Nadu has been turned into a hub of ganja trafficking, illicit liquor sales and drug mafia. “This government has created a situation where there is no place in the state where ganja is not available. To put it bluntly, media reports show college students and even school students using drugs, including ganja, in a very casual manner,” the AIADMK general secretary has claimed.. “This has raised serious doubts among the people as to whether the ruling party and the chief minister are protecting the people or shielding those involved in the crimes,” Palaniswami said in a post on the social media platform ‘X’ on Monday night.. People across the state were agitated due to the increasing crimes and wanted this “incompetent and anti-people regime of the puppet chief minister to end,” the AIADMK chief said.. The drug menace apart, the brutal sexual assaults and murders against women and children have become rampant as never before.. “There have been about 30 lockup deaths in the last 5 years of the DMK rule. In the last two months alone, 4 Scheduled Caste youths have died in custody. People are clearly realising where law and order is heading under the DMK regime – a classic case of fence grazing the crops – and are deeply distressed,” Palaniswami alleged.. People felt insecure over the current law and order situation and wanted to know why the DMK government has not taken any action to ensure law and order, he said and appealed to the people to throw out the “anti-people regime”.. DMK government had always been dismissive of such allegations, and days ago, a top official, citing data, had said that the incidence of crime has witnessed a steady decline in the state.. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. 

 Taking note of Vikrant Jaitly’s “wish to not communicate with his sister”, the Delhi high court on Monday closed the petition of Bollywood actor Celina Jaitly was seeking directions to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate interaction with her brother.. Celina Jaitly’s brother, Major (Retd) Vikrant Jaitly, has been in detention in the UAE for 18 months now.. Celina’s petition seeks directions to the Centre to facilitate legal assistance for her brother and enable communication with him. Vikrant Jaitly has been detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for over 18 months for reasons not known yet.. The Centre on Monday told the Delhi high court that Celina Jaitly’s detained brother Vikrant was unwilling to be represented by any law firm, including the one chosen by his sister, to communicate with her, and had said that decisions regarding legal representation would be taken solely by his wife, Charul, HT reported earlier.. The submission was made by Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma before a bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav in Celina’s petition. The same was based on a February 18 meeting between the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Vikrant.. Noting submissions by the ASG, the high court closed Celina Jaitly’s petition and turned down her further request for at least one opportunity to speak with her brother through video conferencing to confirm his stand.. Saying that the court must adhere to Vikrant’s stated position and that the reliefs sought had been “sufficiently” addressed, the judge said that there was no reason to keep the matter pending.. The court said that the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi had been in “active contact with Vikrant” and had interacted with him nine times since his detention. The bench directed the Centre to continue providing legal assistance to Vikrant and look after his well-being.. “The Indian officials deputed in UAE, when interacted and when Mr Jaitly says something we’ll have to adhere to it. There is no reason to doubt that. Why we should continue this petition?”, the earlier report quoted the bench as saying.. On the basis of the statement and undertakings given by the MEA, the bench said, it has come on record that the respondent is in active contact with Vikrant Jaitly.. It also appears that counsellor access to Jaitely has been granted, the bench further said.. “The officials of the embassy of India in Abu Dhabi have interacted 9 times. In view of the aforesaid, aforenoted facts and developments, there is no reason to keep the petition pending and the same is accordingly disposed of,” it said.