The State Government signed a pact with four insurance companies to implement its flagship health insurance scheme for farmers under the Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana on Friday.
The health insurance scheme which is meant to benefit an estimated 60 lakh identified farmer families during the current plan period, would be rolled out in first week of November by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said Agriculture Minister Debi Prasad Mishra during the MoU signing at the State Secretariat.
Four insurance firms having experience in the sector such as New India Assurance Company limited, National Insurance Company limited, Reliance General Insurance Company limited and IFFICI-Tokio General Insurance Company limited, have been selected through a tender process. The MoU was signed in presence of Agriculture Minister Mishra between the nodal officers of the State Government in charge of the scheme and the representatives of the four insurance companies. On the occasion, the Agriculture Minister also inaugurated a smart card to be introduced for the farmers for availing the treatment facilities in some earmarked hospitals.
The scheme would be operationalised by dividing the State into three zones- South, Central and North. While Reliance and IFFCO Tokio have been assigned the northern zone, National and Reliance Insurance have been given the Central Zone and New India and IFFCO –Tokio would look after the Southern Zone.
Stating that illness is a threat to the income and earning capacity of the farmer households, Mishra said that raising out of pocket expenditure on medical treatment was one of the major reasons for indebtedness of their households which put the family members in distress. In order to avoid such tragic problem, the State Government had decided to launch the Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana to protect the farmers and families from health shock and also to provide them relief in the event of accident and disability, Mishra said.
Each farmer family would have to pay minimum premium per annum at the rate of Rs 30 for the health insurance cover of Rs1 lakh each. The benefit will be available to five members of the family including the head of the household, his spouse and three dependents. The welfare scheme will benefit all medium, small and marginal farmers of the State, he said.
The Minister said that all the farm workers families engaged in agriculture activities would be treated as farmers and would be entitled to be covered under the insurance scheme. Even the farmers covered under Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojana can take the benefit of the State scheme. Free treatment along with operation in 500 critical diseases with expenditure up to Rs 70,000 is allowed in the State scheme for them. The beneficiaries would be provided with a smart card for availing the treatment facilities in the listed hospitals.
As per the provision, the treated patients would be provided with Rs 100 each towards fare charges by concerned hospital to go to their houses and the opportunities would be given highest ten times to a farmer during treatment period for journey to the hospital.
The State Government had provided Rs100 crore for the implementation of the insurance scheme under the BKKY.