E-Paper
Govt plans to make U Health Card scheme must for its employees
GAIRSAIN (CHAMOLI): Finance minister Prakash Pant informed the Uttarakhand assembly that the government was considering to make U Health Card compulsory for its
GAIRSAIN (CHAMOLI): Finance minister Prakash Pant informed the Uttarakhand assembly that the government was considering to make U Health Card compulsory for its employees.
The scheme at present is not mandatory for them. Under the scheme, cashless health facility is provided to employees in empanelled hospitals. Replying to the Congress member Mamta Rakesh during Question Hour, Pant said the government has so far disbursed Rs 28 crore to the hospitals providing medical facilities to the employees.
In another reply, he said Rs 1,080 crore was pending on the part of sugar mills that they were supposed to pay to farmers. “Out of this amount, Rs 86 crore is still pending while the rest cleared.” The minister said a private sugar mill in Haridwar district has to pay the biggest chunk to the farmers and the government was asking it to clear the due.
There was ruckus by the opposition members on the question of Independent MLA Preetam Panwar. In a starred question, he sought a reply on whether the government was considering loan waiver to farmers. Pant said there was no such provision as the state was already “financially overburdened”.
“Rs 10,968 crore in loan was taken by farmers and they were paying R 934 crore as interest on this amount,” he informed the House.
Congress MLA Harish Dhami was infuriated when the minister said there was no incident of disaster in the year 2016-17. Dhami claimed his assembly, Dharchula, was most affected by disaster.
Horticulture minister Subodh Uniyal told the MLAs that Uttarakhand was promoting ‘horticulture tourism’ with an aim to support farmers. The government has earmarked Rs 150 crore to develop 1,050 clusters, he added.
