Bhopal | Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh.

During the event, the PM will also distribute sickle cell genetic status cards to beneficiaries, an official release said on Friday.

The mission aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population, it said.

Sickle-cell anaemia is caused by a defective gene, Haemoglobin S, which causes flexible red blood cells to become stiff sickle-shaped cells, obstructing blood flow and increasing the risk of organ damage.

The launch will mark a crucial milestone in the Centre's efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047, the release said. The Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2023.

This initiative will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high-focused states – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.

Modi will also kickstart the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end.

The Ayushman card distribution campaign is a step towards realising the PM's vision of reaching out to every beneficiary to ensure 100 per cent saturation of welfare schemes, the release said.

Modi will also take part in the culmination of 'Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatra', the state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma earlier told reporters.

Rani Durgavati was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century. She is remembered as a brave, fearless and courageous warrior who fought for freedom against the Mughals.

This is the second visit of the PM to MP in a gap of just four days.

Modi was supposed to be in Shahdol district on June 27, after visiting Bhopal, where he physically and virtually flagged off five Vande Bharat trains and addressed BJP workers, but it was postponed due to bad weather, an official said.

Elaborate arrangements are being made to welcome Modi in Shahdol district, Sharma added.

Besides, the PM will visit Pakaria village in the district and interact with tribal leaders, self-help groups, leaders of PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act) committees, and captains of the village-level football clubs, it added.