Haryana CM launches Chirayu scheme to expand health insurance for Antodaya families

CM Khattar said the Chirayu scheme aimed at expanding the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme launched by the central government so that maximum number of beneficiaries could be included in the scheme

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday launched the ”Chirayu Haryana (comprehensive health insurance of Antyodaya units)” scheme aimed to take the Ayushman Bharat benefits to around 2.9 million beneficiaries in the state having an annual income limit of ₹1.80 lakh.

The scheme was launched at a programme in Manesar during which the CM Khattar distributed golden cards to 13 beneficiaries with Kanta Devi of Khoh village being the first to get her card. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The scheme was launched at a programme in Manesar during which the CM distributed golden cards to 13 beneficiaries with Kanta Devi of Khoh village being the first to get her card.

Addressing the gathering, Khattar said the Chirayu scheme aimed at expanding the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme launched by the central government so that maximum number of beneficiaries could be included in the scheme. “The expansion of the scheme will help in bringing 29 lakh beneficiaries under insurance cover of ₹5 lakh yearly. Around 1,500 diseases are covered under this insurance and this scheme will ensure that people from weaker sections of society get to avail of treatment without facing financial hardships,” he said.

The chief minister said treatment cost of these additional beneficiaries under the Chirayu scheme will be borne by the state government and it is expected to cost the state around ₹500 crore yearly.

“From today, Antyodaya families have been brought under the ambit of ”Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB-PMJAY)”. This scheme is expected to give a new lease of life to the 1.25 crore Antyodaya population, which means that 50% residents of the state will be availing of the scheme benefit,” said Khattar.

He said the present state government has increased the BPL (below poverty line) annual income limit from ₹. 1.20 lakh to ₹1.80 lakh. Golden cards are being made for these families. He said camps would also be organised at the district and block level for beneficiary identification and the work of making the golden cards to cover all the beneficiaries of Antyodaya families will be done on a mission mode. It is expected that everyone will get these cards by December 31.

“There are a total of 715 hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the state, including 539 private hospitals and 176 government hospitals. This means that needy people are getting the benefit of health facilities in about 32 hospitals in every district of Haryana. Treatment for 1,500 health ailments will be possible under this scheme,” said Khattar.

In a related development, Gurugram MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh on Monday also distributed Chirayu cards to five beneficiaries at a programme held at John Hall in Civil Lines in Gurugram on Monday.

Singh in his address said south Haryana will soon get an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital, and its foundation stone will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also said the state government has been working to improve the healthcare facilities across the state, including Gurugram, and the city will get a much larger civil hospital with 700 beds capacity.

The Haryana government has acquired 210 acres for setting up the AIIMS in Majra village in Rewari district. The new hospital will cost ₹1,300 crore and is likely to be inaugurated by Modi. The announcement to set up AIIMS in Rewari was first made by Khattar on 2015 and later the PM also announced it during a public rally in Bawal.

Singh said expansion of healthcare infrastructure in the state has ensured that people, who faced issues during Covid 19 pandemic, will not suffer again as there are adequate facilities to manage such diseases.

Health department officials, who were present at the event, said 39 healthcare institutions have been empaneled in the district under the Chirayu programme of which 32 are private facilities while seven are run by the government. They also informed that 384,000 beneficiaries have been registered under this scheme by the department.