Talcher: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday asked Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to link the people of the state with the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

The scheme provides Rs 5 lakh health insurance to the people.

"I urge Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to link people of the state with Ayushman Bharat scheme to be launched on Sunday," he said addressing a public meeting after launching commencement of work for the country's first coal gasification-based fertiliser plant at Talcher.

Referring to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's famous assertion that only 15 paise out of a Rupee is sanctioned by the Centre for the welfare of people reaches beneficiaries, he said, "They knew about the 'bimari' (illness) but had no vision to solve it."

The BJP government's decision to directly transfer money to bank accounts of beneficiaries has done away with the practice of middlemen in the implementation of any welfare scheme, he said.

Pointing towards the overwhelming gathering of people at the rally, Modi said it "clearly showed" what the people of Odisha are thinking