NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for the share of health from the proceeds of health and education cess levied under the Finance Act, 2007.
The Centre in a statement said that the salient feature of PMSSN is that it is a non-lapsable reserve fund for health in the public account and proceeds of the share of health in the health and education cess will be credited into.
The accruals into the PMSSN will be utilised for the flagship schemes of the health ministry such as Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Health and Wellness Centres, National Health Mission, and Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, said the government.
It could also be utilised for emergency and disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies and any future programmes or schemes that target to achieve progress towards sustainable development goals and the targets set out in the National Health Policy, 2017.
The administration and maintenance of the PMSSN are entrusted to the health ministry and in any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the ministry would be initially incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from gross budgetary support, the official released by the government said.
“The major benefit will be enhanced access to universal and affordable health care through the availability of earmarked resources while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of the financial year,” maintained the health ministry.
In the budget speech 2018, the finance minister while announcing the ambitious Ayushman Bharat Scheme had mentioned the replacement of 3 % education cess by 4 % cess that was to be applied over health and education in the country.