Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 28 (ANI): Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that 2014 marked the beginning of a new era of welfare governance in India, asserting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s transparent administration.
Speaking at the launch of the pilot implementation of the PM Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT) and Health Passport in Gandhinagar, Shah said the year 2014 would remain a defining milestone in India’s history.
“Whenever the history of India’s first 100 years of Independence is written, it will be divided into two phases–before 2014 and after 2014,” he said.
He stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India has witnessed transformational reforms across education, the economy, industrial development and governance through long-term planning. He added that transparent governance has ensured that government benefits now reach beneficiaries directly through bank transfers.
Launching the pilot project, Shah said the integrated digital platform would strengthen governance through a common identity system and ensure that no eligible beneficiary is deprived of welfare benefits, as per the release.
Recalling his experiences of witnessing extreme poverty in Uttar Pradesh, the Union Minister said the Modi government had transformed the lives of nearly 70 crore poor citizens over the past 12 years by providing housing, electricity, tap water, toilets, LPG connections, free food grains and free healthcare worth up to Rs 5 lakh.
He said these initiatives had fulfilled the dreams of generations of poor families. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya, Shah said good governance extends beyond formulating schemes to caring for every citizen.
He congratulated Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and the state administration for developing the sophisticated software platform. Shah explained that the PM Family Care Tracker integrates databases relating to birth and death registration, health, nutrition, education and social welfare into a unified digital system.
Under the system, alerts will be generated automatically if a child misses a vaccination or drops out of school. Notifications will reach local officials, legislators and Members of Parliament, enabling volunteers and government authorities to intervene promptly and ensure that every child receives essential services. The platform will digitally track the health and nutrition of children from the prenatal stage until the age of 16.
CM Patel described the PM Family Care Tracker and Health Passport as a sensitive and well-structured digital health infrastructure for every family. He said the initiative marks the beginning of a new era in ensuring safe, healthy and dignified lives for mothers and children from pregnancy through adolescence.
He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi considers a healthy population to be the country’s greatest strength and said India has shifted from a treatment-based healthcare system to a holistic healthcare approach. He highlighted the government’s focus on four pillars of healthcare–preventive, promotive, affordable and digital healthcare–to ensure comprehensive well-being for 140 crore citizens.
The Chief Minister also highlighted Gujarat’s achievements in maternal and child healthcare and nutrition.
Referring to the Namo Shri Yojana, he said eligible pregnant and lactating mothers receive financial assistance of up to Rs 12,000. He also outlined the expansion of daycare centres, dialysis centres, cancer treatment facilities, cardiac surgery and kidney disease treatment across districts.
Expressing confidence in the new digital initiative, Bhupendra Patel said the PM Family Care Tracker and Health Passport would play a significant role in reducing maternal and infant mortality, combating malnutrition and strengthening healthcare delivery.
Welcoming the gathering, Health Minister Prafull Pansheriya said Gujarat has emerged as a model state in healthcare. He said the pilot project has been launched in Gandhinagar through coordinated efforts of the Health, Women and Child Development, and Education Departments under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He said the digital platform would ensure that no child in the state misses vaccination. Every child will receive a digital health card at birth, containing medical records, including details of hereditary and other diseases, up to the age of 18.
The Health Minister also noted that the state has launched a three-day Pulse Polio campaign and said it is a matter of pride that India is officially polio-free. He added that the Health Department is committed to ensuring that every child receives vaccines protecting against 11 serious diseases and that the initiative will help achieve the goal of Antyodaya by reaching the last person in society.
During the event, Union Home Minister Amit Shah distributed the first digital certificates under the PM Family Care Tracker to three beneficiaries, administered polio drops to children, and distributed nutrition kits to children, lactating mothers and pregnant women. He also issued Health Passports as part of the initiative.
On the occasion, Shah also inaugurated the PM eBus Sewa in Gandhinagar, marking another step towards strengthening the city’s smart urban transport infrastructure. (ANI)
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