Smriti Irani File Photo.

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said 30 lakh women have been screened for cervical cancer nationwide under the Centre’s flagship health scheme Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana. She further said 70 lakh poor women got themselves screened for breast cancer under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The Union minister for women and child development was here to launch Yashaswini Scheme for Women Entrepreneurship, Swasthya Sakhi Project and breast cancer screening.

“More than 30 lakh women have been screened for cervical cancer. Traditionally, women from rural areas were reluctant to go through such screening, but they have given tremendous response to the government’s scheme,” she said. “This is for the first time in the history of India people are being given up to Rs 5 lakh for medical expenses,” she said about AB-PMJAY. She also hailed the Goa government for setting a target to screen 20,000 women for breast cancer.

Irani also praised the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) under which eight crore women have been given gas cylinders. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane were present at the function.