PM wears Kashmiri 'pheran' gifted by J&K farm labourer at virtual event

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi often choses to dress in a traditional attire while attending an event of a particular region and this time it was a Kashmiri "pheran" as he launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme to extend health insurance benefits to residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pheran is a Kashmiri form of cloak, worn by locals.

Sources close to the prime minister said he had received the pheran as a gift in winters last year from a farm labourer from Jammu and Kashmir.

PM Modi had planned to wear this during his visit to the region, but the trip could not materialise due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

He launched the scheme through video-conferencing today and wore the "special gift", the sources said.

Recently, PM Modi was also seen donning Bengali shawls during his various virtual programmes for West Bengal.

The Prime Minister's Office said the Ayushman Bharat scheme will ensure universal health coverage, and focus on providing financial risk protection and ensuring quality and affordable essential health services to all individuals and communities in Jammu and Kashmir.