19-day-old Haryana girl becomes first Ayushman Bharat beneficiary

19-day-old Karishma, born at Kalpana Chawla government hospital in Karnal on August 15, has become the first new-born beneficiary of Prime Minister's Ayushman Bharat Yojana (National Health Protection Scheme).

Lauding the government for the scheme, Karishma's mother Mausami said, "'The government will bear all medical expenses. This scheme is very good."

Prime Minister Modi, on the occasion of Independence Day, had announced that the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan' will be launched on September 25.

The scheme is the flagship project of Ayushman Bharat, the national healthcare policy, launched by the government earlier this year.

Ayushman Bharat, also referred to as 'Modicare', was launched by the Government of India in February this year. The ambitious healthcare policy promises to cover over 100 million poor and vulnerable families, based on SECC (Socio-Economic Caste Census) database, providing coverage up to Rs 500,000 per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

Google India's literacy programme 'Internet Saathi' now in 100,000 villages

Riding on the 'Internet Saathi' programme - a digital literacy initiative aimed at empowering women in rural India, Google India on Wednesday announced that it has now reached 100,000 villages in the country.

Launched as a pilot in Rajasthan in July 2015 along with Tata Trusts, Google announced plans to scale the programme to cover 300,000 villages across India in December the same year.

"From being afraid to touch a smartphone, worried that they will spoil it, to now demanding services that can help them get more from the Internet - women in rural India have come a long way," Sapna Chadha, Director Marketing, South East Asia and India at Google, a statement said.

"We are delighted with the progress we have made with the 'Internet Saathi' model and it is remarkable to see the passion of these women learning about the Internet," she added.

In its two-year journey, the initiative has continued to gain momentum and is today live in 10 states in India.

Nearly 25,000 fully-trained 'Internet Saathis' are working everyday in these villages to help women and children learn about the internet.

In total, over 10 million women have gained from the programme so far and have become familiar with the benefits of using the Internet in their daily lives.
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