Bhubaneswar, Mar 6: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojna (BSKY) Nabin Card in Odisha.
Except for regular government employees and income taxpayers, people in every village of the state will get the benefit of the card.
The distribution of this card has started from today and the beneficiaries will get its benefits from May. The scheme is being implemented under the 5T initiative of the state government.
Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said that 4.5 crore people of Odisha are my family. I have been and always will be in your happiness and sorrow. Your happiness is my happiness.
Patnaik stated that a healthy society is the base of a prosperous nation and it has a deep connection with health of the people and said that I have always worked and will continue to work for the well-being of my family members.
Notably, more than 1 crore families in the state, which is 80% of the state's population, are getting cashless medical benefits under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojna. It entitles the beneficiaries of medical benefits up to Rs.10 lakhs for women and up to Rs.5 lakhs for other family members.
In this scheme, 130,000 beneficiaries are receiving treatment in 816 registered private hospitals per month. For this, the state government is bearing an expense of over Rs 270 crore. The Chief Minister said that this will help include more families in the scheme.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Niranjan Pujari attended the program in Sambalpur’s Rengali block and said that BSKY which is being implemented under the 5T initiative is a historic decision of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman Kartik Pandian said that the aim of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is to provide health care facility to every individual of the state. In the next phase, almost everyone in the urban areas will be included in the BSKY Nabin card.
He thanked the Health and Family Welfare and Information Technology Departments for implementing the scheme in record time.
It is worth noting that during Pandian’s district visits, many people in rural areas who were deprived of the benefits of BSKY card requested him to include them in the scheme. After learning about it, Patnaik decided to launch the BSKY Nabin card.
Commissioner-Cum-Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Shalini Pandit delivered the welcome address and vote of thanks was given by the CEO of BSKY Society.
