BPL families’ cry for help as RSVY faces bureaucratic hurdles in Odisha

BPL families’ cry for help as RSVY faces bureaucratic hurdles in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR(VISAKEO): BPL families in Odisha’s 12 districts out of 30
are struggling to get benefits under the Rashtriya Swasthya Vima
Yojana (RSVY) due to the lack of initiative from the district
collectors in issuing smart cards for the scheme.
The non-issue of the smart cards by March 2010 would also mean that
the financial assistance of Rs 120 crore already released by the
Centre for the scheme, for 2009-10, would lapse.
The 12 districts where RSVY is being implemented are Puri, Nayagarh,
Kalahandi, Nuapara, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, Raygada, Sambalpur,
Sundergarh and Khurda.
Though the Union ministry of labour has agreed to include the 19 lakh
odd BPL (below poverty line) families under RSVY as per the 2002 BPL
survey, the district collectors are steadfast in their demand for
issue of cards as per the BPL survey list of 2009 which is yet to be
prepared.
The Union labour ministry has even agreed to accommodate additional
BPL families under the scheme in these 12 districts who have not been
included in the BPL survey list for 2002.
Interestingly, the insistence of the district collectors on the 2009
BPL survey list for issue of the smart cards is as per a circular
issued last month by the Orissa government.
According to the circular, the district collectors were instructed to
adhere to the 2009 BPL survey list for issue of the smart cards. So
far, 40,000 families in Kalhandi district and 30,000 families in
Nayagarh district have been issued the smart cards to facilitate the
implementation of RSVY. However, uncertainty over the issue of smart
cards for the remaining families has cast doubts on the implementation
of the scheme.
As per the original plan, the implementation of RSVY in the State was
scheduled to commence from 2008-09 and get completed in 2012-13.
The New India Assurance Company has been selected by the state
government through an open tender, to implement the scheme.
Under this scheme, the BPL families in 12 districts of the State will
be eligible for health insurance cover up to Rs 30,000 per annum. Such
families will have to contribute Rs 30 as registration charge every
year.
Smart cards will be issued to the beneficiaries, which can be used for
availing the treatment in large number of listed government and
private hospitals. Besides, Rs 100 will be provided as transport cost
to the beneficiaries who leave hospitals after treatment.
The insurance premium will be shared between the Union government and
the state government in the ratio of 75: 25, sources said