Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who presented her third Budget, announced the PM Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana for Rs 64,180 crore.
Sitharaman proposed the launch of the new Centre-sponsored scheme with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore over six years to develop capacities of healthcare systems, and develop institutions for detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.
In her Budget speech, Sitharaman said "The preparation of this Budget was undertaken in circumstances like never before, in view of calamities that have affected a country or a region within a country. But what we have endured with COVID-19 to 2020 is sui generis."
In this year's Budget, keeping in mind the coronavirus situation in India, Sitharaman also proposed to allot Rs 35,000 crore for COVID-19 vaccines.
The Finance Minister added that investment in health infrastructure in Budget 2021 has been increased substantially. She noted that the three focus areas of Budget 2021 are preventive health, curative health, and well-being.
