A country or State can’t strengthen if the popular Government is undermining citizen’s health and education needs, said the activists in the Pay My Bill campaign here.
City-based voluntary organisation Sahayog with the support of Oxfam India started the campaign with 50 volunteers coming across different blocks of Khordha and Cuttack districts.
"Though both the Centre and the State have been introducing and implementing so many schemes like (Niramaya, Sampoorna, Sunetra, Nidan, and Health Insurance) but reality is quite different. The benefit of all schemes never reached the people the way it should be," they said, adding that, "Hence the financial burden on them for health and education pushed them to below poverty line. The Government should make sure healthcare (medicines, doctors, diagnosis, ambulance, infrastructure, and service providers) is freely available and accessible to all on priority basis."
All the Government schools need to well equip otherwise the Government should control privatesation of educational institutions to protect the interest of own citizen. Now the Government should pay the amount already paid by citizen for getting education or health services and treatment, they demanded.
They formed a human chain, engaged with rail passengers coming in and going out of railway station, disseminated leaflets to passersby and sensitized about the health and education right as well as entitlements for them by the democratically elected Government.
Representatives of Oxfam India, Santosh Patra and secretary of Sahayog Bijayalaxmi Rautaray were present.