BPL families will receive free health insurance from March

BPL families will receive free health insurance from March

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 5: Deputy Commissioner V Ponnuraj said that the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, a health insurance scheme for below poverty line (BPL) families, will be implemented in the district from March. 

He told media people that the Department of Rural Development and the Panchayat Raj conducted a survey in Karnataka in 2002 and identified 44,276 BPL families in the district who are eligible to participate in this scheme. The beneficiaries will receive free treatment in government as well as designated private hospitals. 

The scheme will be implemented via the Department of Labour. The beneficiaries will receive smart cards in Mangalore from Feb 8 - 20 at specific Gram Panchayat Offices and schools. Smart cards will be issued in other taluks later, said the DC. 

S Narasimhaiah, the state additional labour commissioner and chief executive officer of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana in Karnataka, said that a maximum of 5 members of a BPL family can receive free treatment worth Rs 30,000 annually. The scheme benefits in-patients only, he informed. The entire family can claim travelling allowance worth Rs 1000 annually for visits to the hospital. 

The union and state governments will pay premiums of Rs 475 annually for each family to the National Insurance Company. The Union government will pay 75 percent of the premium, he said. 

The families must pay a registration fee of Rs 30 to get the smart cards. Each smart card will contain details of each family member, their thumb impressions, and photographs. Each member of the family must have certification from the village accountants or secretaries of respective gram panchayats in order to receive the smart card. 

This scheme will be implemented in DK, Bangalore Rural, Mysore, Belgaum, and Shimoga in 2009 - 10 on a trail basis. Later, it will be extended to other districts, said Mr. Narasimhaiah. 

Call toll-free number 1800-425-9778/0824-2437479 for additional details