Why in news:

• The state government of Haryana has announced various social sector initiatives to improve the living standards of the weaker and vulnerable sections including low-income populace, senior citizens, women and people belonging to scheduled castes.

Key Points:

• In addition to that the government has also laid focus on youth sector as providing appropriate direction and skills to the young population is necessary to take full advantage of demographic dividend. The Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship is a new department of the Haryana government that has been created by merging the departments of skill development and industrial training, along with employment and youth affairs while SEWA is an outcome of merger of welfare of scheduled castes, backward classes and social justice and empowerment departments.
• The state government has allocated a sum of Rs 10,254 crore for the social sector for the upcoming 2023-24 fiscal, which is an increase of 7.1% over the revised estimates of the current financial year.
• The government has also extended the benefit of CHIRAYU-Ayushman Bharat to families of anganwadi workers, helpers, ASHA workers, chowkidars, mid-day meal workers, gramin safai karamcharis, lambardars and other such workers, who come from families having an annual income of more than Rs 1.80 lakh, on contribution of a nominal sum of Rs 125 per month. The families of these employees would be eligible for in-patient hospital care of upto Rs 5 lakh per annum in any state empanelled hospital. It has also announced introducing Deen Dayal Upadhyay Antyodyay Parivar Suraksha Yojana for providing assistance in case of death, or disability of a member of a family, having annual income of up to Rs 1.8 lakh.
• Staying focussed on the social sector, and widening the Health insurance net, the government has announced that the benefits under Comprehensive Health Insurance of Antyodaya Units (CHIRAYU) - Ayushman Bharat would be extended to all families whose annual income, according to the data verified by the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP), is above Rs 1.8 lakh and up to Rs 3 lakh. T
• These families will be asked to make a nominal contribution of Rs 1,500 per family per annum covering 50% of the subscription amount for receiving medical treatment cover of Rs 5 lakh in any empanelled hospital. Nearly 8 lakh such families will be eligible to receive this benefit in addition to 29.93 lakh families already identified.