In yet another populist move, the State Government is all set to launch a Mahaprayan scheme under which arrangements would be made for delivering dead bodies of people dying in hospitals at their residences.
The Government has written to the district Collectors for implementation of the scheme, which would be initiated in the 30 District Headquarters Hospitals along with the three State-run medical college hospitals, the Cuttack Sishu Bhawan, the Acharya Harihar Cancer Research Centre, the Capital Hospital and the Rourkela Government Hospital.
A total of 40 vehicles would be purchased for transporting the dead bodies from the hospitals to the deceased’s residences. The funds for the scheme would be made available from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) and would be managed by the District Red Cross Societies.
While the decision has been taken to provide a vehicle to each hospital, two vehicles each would be provided to the medical college hospitals in Cuttack, Brahmapur and Burla.
The district Collectors would purchase the vehicles as per the need. The Department of General Administration (DoGA) has been directed to provide funds from the CMRF to the DMs if more money is required towards purchasing vehicles.
The scheme would be added to a series of programmes and schemes already launched by the Government earlier including free ambulance service 102 for pregnant women, 108 for patients.