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HomePlugged InModicare gets thumbs-up from most media, but the Times isn't convinced

Modicare gets thumbs-up from most media, but the Times isn’t convinced

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With grand fanfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his ambitious health scheme Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Ranchi Sunday.

The scheme aims to provide a health cover of Rs 5 lakh annually to about 11 crore poor families.

In its coverage, The Indian Express emphasises how the Prime Minister tried to sell the scheme as one aimed at helping the poor get better healthcare facilities. In the opening paragraphs, Hindustan Times writes about what Jharkhand got additionally since the scheme was launched from Ranchi. It reports, “Modi who also launched 10 wellness centres in Jharkhand and laid the foundation stones of medical colleges in Chaibasa and Koderma…” Surprisingly, The Times of India, in its print edition, has dedicated just one column to this news on its front page, and that too less than 100 words.

But a few parts of India, including Delhi, Telangana, Kerala, Punjab and Odisha, have decided not to implement the scheme, saying either that they have better schemes or that some of their concerns remained unaddressed.

Each beneficiary of the scheme will get a personal letter from the Prime Minister, which will help kick-start the process of enrolment.

Showing its durability at a time when news reports tend to come with a short shelf life, the Rafale controversy found space on the front pages of most newspapers.

The Indian Express reports that the French secretary of state for foreign affairs, in a statement, lashed out at former president Francois Hollande statement that the Indian government “proposed” Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as the offset partner for the contract. Hollande’s statement, which has created a storm in India, “renders no service to France”, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said.

The Times of India leads its coverage of the controversy with finance minister Arun Jaitley’s statement that the deal will not be cancelled. although “the Comptroller and Auditor General would study the pricing and take a view on whether the NDA government’s deal was better than the one UPA was negotiating”.

Hindustan Times emphasises the questions raised by Jaitley on Hollande’s “contradictory statements”.

Amid all this, The Hindu writes in its editorial that more transparency is the only way to douse the fire or else defence modernisation will be the real victim.

Prime Time

Who will win the 2019 general elections?

Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami asked the question — Which side has the edge for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections: Narendra Modi or the opposition. While political analyst Ashish Khetan and BJP leader Hitesh Jain stated that the BJP had the edge, JD(S) leader Tanveer Ahmed and Rahul Narvekar of the NCP had a different point of view.

Khetan said, “The biggest disadvantage of the mahagathbandhan is that it is an opportunistic alliance.”

Jain added, “In preparation for 2019, the only person who is working and standing firmly on the ground is PM Modi. The opposition doesn’t even know on which ground it is standing.”

Ahmed retorted, “The BJP has robbed people of money, taken away security from women. This government needs to go.”

Narvekar pointed out, “This mahagathbandhan is at least trying to bridge a gap that this government has failed to do so far.”

 

The Rafale controversy continues

On Times Now, Athar Khan asked: Why does the government not make the Rafale files public?

On 21 September, former French president Francois Hollande, who cleared the intergovernmental deal when he was in office, was quoted as saying that New Delhi had “proposed” that Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence be picked for the offset contract.

While BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha refused to comment, political analyst Asif Bhamla asked Prime Minister Modi to come clean on the Rafale deal.

All Sinha said was: “When Rahul Gandhi had a press conference yesterday, he had the audacity to call the PM a thief. Shouldn’t he apologise?”

“Why is the honorable Prime Minister so silent on this issue. He tweets about even the smallest incidents happening on earth,” Bhamla said.

News it’s just kinda cool to know

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new battery made partly from carbon dioxide captured from power plants. While still based on early-stage research and far from commercial deployment, this battery has the ability to convert carbon dioxide into a solid mineral carbonate as it discharges, according to a study published in the journal Joule.

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