Koraga tribesmen took out a protest march here on Tuesday against the withdrawal of reimbursement of treatment expenses under the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP).
Dakshina Kannada Koraga Sangha president Sundra Koraga said that the State Government had tied up with private hospitals for providing treatment to ailments of people of the tribe following complaints about their neglect in government hospitals. Treatment expenses of Koraga tribes were being reimbursed under ITDP
Mr. Sundara said that the State Government has suddenly stopped reimbursement of treatment expenses.
The Koraga tribal people started the march from B.R. Ambedkar Circle. They garlanded statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar en route. They went to the office of Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra and submitted a memorandum seeking restoration of the medical treatment expenses reimbursement scheme.
According to the district administration, the State Government did not give approval last year to the action plan of the ITDP related to earmarking of a certain amount for medical reimbursement. As a result, nearly Rs.75 lakh has not been reimbursed for the last 18 months.
When the issue was brought up during the recent Koraga tribe grievance redressal meeting, a decision was taken on June 4 to grant Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka health cards to all Koragas. The gram panchayats will start issuing these health cards, an official said.
