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How to enrol aged parents for free hospitalisation in India

Medical hospitalisation scheme is now available to all persons who are 70 years old and above

Question: My parents are living in India. I am told they can be enrolled in the scheme of the Indian Government which takes care of their hospitalisation expenses. As I am based in Dubai, I do not know how to enrol them.

ANSWER: The benefit of the medical hospitalisation scheme is now available to all persons who are 70 years old and above. This is regardless of the income of the beneficiary. Earlier only the poor and vulnerable families were covered under the scheme. The health cover per family is upto Rs500,000 per annum for secondary and tertiary-care hospitalisation. You can enrol your parents, if they are 70 years or above, on the website www.beneficiary.nha.gov.in. The beneficiaries will simply need to verify their identity and eligibility through Aadhaar e-KYC. The Aadhaar serves as the primary document for the beneficiary’s age and proof of residence. No other document is required to complete the registration process. This scheme is totally cashless and payment of medical bills is made directly to hospitals where treatment is provided to the beneficiaries. As of September 30, approximately 30,000 hospitals across the country are empanelled to provide benefits under the scheme which is run by the National Health Authority. To receive treatment, beneficiaries can visit any empanelled hospital which is eligible to treat a specific illness and avail of the services by presenting the Ayushman Card or the PMJAY Id.

Question: In your earlier column you had mentioned about the need for cyber security and prospects for specialist engineers in this field. Does this mean that you will need more such people in every organization to monitor systems 24x7?

ANSWER: While prospects for engineers specializing in cyber security are immense and will continue to multiply, it is not feasible to have a team of people who will monitor alerts 24 by 7. For critical systems, AI has become an essential tool for detecting and neutralizing threats which are posed on a continuous basis. The integration of AI with cyber security mesh architecture has become imperative. This ensures that all security tools work together in a collaborative ecosystem. AI enhances this by improving detection speed and accuracy across the entire environment. When all nodes in the network feed data into the AI system, it allows for faster and more accurate threat detection. Mesh architectures are crucial for hybrid cloud environments where visibility and real time threat detection are paramount. When AI is integrated into the mesh, it can collect data from various end-points and assess vulnerabilities across a distributed network, making it easier to respond to threats expeditiously. Integration of AI with cloud services not only enhances security but also allows organizations to scale their operations without compromising on safety. Despite AI’s growing capabilities, human expertise is seen to be indispensable in the cyber security space. In short, while AI excels at threat detection and response, strategic decisions require human judgment.

Question: Many factories are coming up in India for manufacture of spare parts, components and other materials used by the defence industry in India. My Indian family, which is in the business of fabrication of industrial equipment is proposing to venture into this field. Would it be worthwhile to do so?

ANSWER: The opening up of the defence sector to private players in India is considered to be an opportunity of the century. The defence sector provides unlimited and unrestricted avenues for both manufacture and exports. In fact, the United States, France, Armenia, Brazil and other countries are setting up joint ventures in India with well known Indian companies in the private sector. During the financial year 2023-24, defence exports worth $2.6 billion were effected. These include a wide range of arms, ammunition and fuses to around 100 countries, some of which imported from India complete weapon systems and platforms. Exports to the US mainly consist of sub-systems and components including fuselage, wings and other parts for aircraft and helicopters. India is therefore emerging as part of the global supply chain as several countries are relying on India to meet their critical requirements. France is importing software and electronic equipment from India. Some countries have placed large orders for missiles, artillery guns, weapons-locating radars, bulletproof vests, night vision equipment, etc. Philippines and other Asean countries as well as some Gulf nations are increasingly showing interest in acquiring precision equipment developed by India. Therefore, the prospects for manufacturing defence equipment are unprecedented and exports are bound to increase exponentially in the coming years.

H. P. Ranina is a practising lawyer, specialising in corporate and tax laws of India.