Chief Minister Harish Rawat announced provision for free health check-ups in Government hospitals for the next three months made available for both categories of people — those covered and those not covered under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (MSBY). Anyone wanting to avail of this free facility will have to show an identity card issued in Uttarakhand. Rawat dec;ared this decision while chairing a meeting with officials at Bijapur guest house on Sunday to assess the situation being faced by the people following the Prime Minister’s decision to demonetise the `500 and `1,000 currency notes.
It should be noted here that because as in the case of the Doon Hospital which receives a large number of patients from areas of neighrbouging State Uttar Pradesh, the free medical check-facility can be availed of by the people showing their Uttarakhand-issued identity card. The Chief Minister also directed officials concerned to ask private hospitals to accept payment from patients through cheque.
During the meeting it wasa revealed that farmers in the state are facing cash problem in purchasing seed and fertilisers. In response, the CM instructed the power department to receive 50 per cent of payment from farmers, while also stressing that farmers should not be presurrised to pay the remaining 50 per cent now because the money would be available to them for purchasing seeds and fertiliser. With these announcements the chief minister appears to have attempted to provide some relief to the general public and the farmers.
Rawat also instructed the officials to coordinate with banks’ officials and ask them to create separate queue for senior citizens, those withdrawing for medical reasons and those families about to host marriage function at their home. He further asked officials to seek cooperation of the banks for making arranagements like that of mobile ATM in remote areas of the state with the local administration also making sure that the mobile ATM is kept secure.
Rawat instructed the officials in the meeting to make it clear to all the government institutions conducting tasks like issuing challans, charging of license fee, electricity and water bill that the old currency be accepted in payment. He further instructed that a review be conducted to ascertain the loss suffered by the Uttarakhand state in stamp, VAT, revenue and other construction agencies as a consequence of the Central Government’s decision of demonetisation.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary S Ramaswami, principal secretaries Omprakash, Dr Umakant Panwar, sscretaries Amit Negi, DS Garbyal and Arvind Singh Hyanki among others.