SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has been approved 10 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) under the Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), while no CCB has been sanctioned for Ladakh under the scheme’s Centrally Sponsored Scheme component, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that 631 CCBs have so far been approved for States and Union Territories under the scheme. Jammu and Kashmir has fewer approved CCBs than neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, which has nine, but more than Uttarakhand’s five. Ladakh and Lakshadweep have no provision for CCBs under the scheme, the Ministry said. The CCBs are intended to strengthen district-level critical care infrastructure, increase surge capacity and improve preparedness for future public health emergencies, with progress and readiness reviewed periodically.