On the lines of the cooperative hospitals in Kerala, on October 18, 2020, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Parshottam Rupala launched a new scheme of National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) namely “Ayushman Sahakar” to involve co-operatives in creating healthcare infrastructure.
- As a part of the scheme, a loan worth Rs 10,000 crore will be provided by NCDC to prospective cooperatives to set up healthcare facilities.
- Loan Period: It will be for 8 years, including 1-2 years moratorium on repayment of principal, depending on the type of project.
- Notably, this scheme covers all aspects of healthcare that come under the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, including Indian systems of medicine by aligning itself with National Health Policy (NHP), 2017.
Key Points:
–The scheme will also support educational initiatives such as medical and dental colleges and those offering nursing and paramedical education.
–Members of a cooperative facility will get services at discounted rates.
— Also provides interest subvention of 1% to women majority cooperatives.
–The scheme provides working capital and margin money to meet operational requirements. aligns itself with the focus of the National Health Policy, 2017, covering the health systems in all their dimensions.
About National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC):
NCDC was set up under an Act of Parliament in 1963 for promotion and development of cooperatives. Since then, it has extended around Rs.1.60 lakh crore as loans to cooperatives. It financed around 30 hospitals in Kerala and a total of 52 across the country.
- Two years back, NCDC launched a cooperative start-up scheme, Yuva Sahakar under which cooperatives are just three months old can get funding from the NCDC
Managing Director– Sundeep Kumar Nayak
Headquarter– New Delhi
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Recent Related News:
i.The Union Cabinet approved the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, for creating ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’ where farmers and traders will enjoy freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce.
ii.On September 24, Narendra Singh Tomar launched “Centralized Farm Machinery Performance Testing Portal”(https://www.agrimachinery.nic.in/FMTTI/Management) in public domain. The Portal has been developed by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture.
