Committee to control misuse of benefits under Rashtriya Swasthya Bhima Yojna

Mangalore, August 6: A monitoring committee would be formed to control the misuse of benefits under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bhima Yojna (RSBY), the health insurance scheme for unorganised labourers below poverty line (BPL) in the district, said N Yogish Bhat, Deputy Speaker, Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Speaking at the Field Key Officers workshop on implementation of RSBY scheme organized under the joint auspices of Dakshina Kannada District Administration, Labour Department and Iffco-General Insurance Company Limited at Roshni Nilaya College here on Saturday, Mr Bhat said that he had asked the State Government to increase the insurance premium to at least Rs 1 or Rs 2 lakh.

Stating that the Government Hospitals in the state should be upgraded for the successful implementation of the scheme, he said that informal discussions were held on extending the scheme to middle class families too.

Delivering the introductory remarks, Assistant Labour Commissioner Venkatesh Appayya Shindihatti said RSBY is an ambitious scheme being implemented jointly by the Central and State Governments to ensure health care facilities to the workers of the unorganised sector, who form 93 per cent of the total workforce of the country. It was the cashless health care facility where the beneficiaries and three of their dependents could receive treatment worth Rs 30,000 per annum. Beneficiaries would be issued smart cards.

Though the scheme had been designed for working class people others too could avail the benefits as it had been extended to all identified BPL families in the rural areas including beedi workers, street vendors and domestic workers. Of the total premium money 75 percent would be bored by the central government and the remaining 25 per cent of amount by the state governments.

To ensure effective implementation of the scheme the Village Accountants and Gram Panchayat Secretaries have been appointed as the field key officers, he said.

Deputy Commissioner Dr N S Channappa Gowda presiding over the function urged the officials to strive for the successful implementation of the scheme across the district and instructed them to include maximum number of families under this scheme to ensure better healthcare facilities to the poor by November.

ZP CEO Dr K N Vijayaprakash, Assistant Commissioner Prabhuling Kavalikatti, Joint Commissioner of Labour Department J D Jingalappa, District Surgeon Dr Sangameshwar and others were present.