The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State yet to implement insurance scheme for poor families

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Sunday, Nov 08, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State yet to implement insurance scheme for poor families

Nagesh Prabhu

Minister says large number of BPL families major reason for delay

It was to be implemented in six districts
It envisages health insurance cover up to
Rs. 30,000 a year to a BPL family

Bangalore: Even after a year of its announcement, the State Government is yet to implement the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), an ambitious health insurance programme of the Centre, in six districts.

The Bharatiya Janata Party Government, headed by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, announced in November 2008 that it would launch the scheme in Belgaum, Gulbarga, Shimoga, Mysore, Dakshina Kannada and Bangalore Rural districts. The scheme envisages cashless health insurance cover up to Rs. 30,000 a year on hospitalisation to a BPL family (a unit of five) in the unorganised sector.

Minister for Labour B.N. Bache Gowda told The Hindu that existence of a large number of BPL families in six districts was a major reason for the delay in the implementation of the scheme. The RSBY, which became operational on April 1, 2008, has to be extended to all the 29 districts by 2012-13. The Labour Department is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme.

Mr. Gowda said that when the scheme was announced, it was decided to cover to cover 5.78 lakh families in six districts. It was decided to cover 1,56,811 BPL families in Belgaum; 1,94,238 in Gulbarga; 36,498 Shimoga; 1,22,511 in Mysore; 41,578 in Dakshina Kannada; and 23,983 BPL families in Bangalore Rural. Only those BPL families identified by a survey in 2002 were eligible to avail themselves of the benefits. But during the last few years, the number of BPL card-holders increased from 5.78 lakh to 18 lakh in these districts.

Currently, there are 4.87 lakh BPL families in Belgaum, 3.96 lakh families in Gulbarga, 2.25 lakh families in Shimoga, 4.22 lakh families in Mysore, 1.58 lakh families in Dakshina Kannada and 1.20 lakh in Bangalore Rural, according to officials in the Food and Civil Supplies Department.

The Centre has released only Rs. 6 crore to the State for implementing the scheme. With huge sum required to cover existing BPL families, the implementation of the scheme would be delayed till the BPL lists in six districts was streamlined, the Minister said. States such as Haryana, Punjab Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu have started enrolment and issue of smart cards.

Mr. Gowda has urged Union Labour Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge to release more fund to the State for implementation of the scheme. The premium is shared by the Centre and the State in the ratio of 75:25. Of the total premium of Rs. 750 per BPL family, the State’s share is Rs. 185.

The government has decided to implement the scheme through the National Insurance Company Limited.

A family has to pay Rs. 30 for obtaining a smart card, which contains personal data and fingerprints. The card holds good at any hospital, private and public, that is in the list of the insurance company.

All building and other construction workers registered under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, are eligible for the scheme. The scheme would cover most of the ailments and diseases, except 12 diseases including HIV/AIDS.

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