Dainik Nation News Portal
A central scheme, which was aimed at providing health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to 5.4 lakh identified economically weak families of Uttarakhand, will now include over 20 lakh families in Uttarakhand. A memorandum of understanding in this regard has been signed between Uttarakhand state government and national health agency (NHA) to provide this health insurance cover under Ayushman Bharat scheme in Shimla on Monday. The MoU was signed by Nitesh Jha, Uttarakhand secretary health department, and CEO of Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission, Indu Bhushan, in the presence of union health minister, JP Nadda and CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.
The National Health Protection Mission was announced by the Centre government in its budget session this year under which all BPLs (as per census 2011) would be given medical insurance free of cost.
Stating it to be a unique move for Uttarkhand, CM Rawat, said, “Uttarakhand will be India’s first state to have decided to extend this service nationally for all its residents. Not just the 5.4 lakh identified BPL families but we have decided to extend the scheme to 20 lakh families of Uttarakhand and thus become the first state of India to give such massive insurance in the state.”
In Uttarakhand, Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Beema Yojna is already ongoing under which around 12 lakh families are benefited with a health cover upto Rs 1.7 lakh. Now those families will get a hiked cover of Rs five lakh. The committee formed by state government to track the cases of MSBY is entitled to track the Ayushman Bharat scheme as well.
