In a much-awaited relief to the poor and unorganised sector labourers, the State cabinet headed by Chief Minister Raghubar Das approved a proposal of Mukhyamantri Swasthya Beema Yojna on Tuesday.
The plan which aims at providing free health insurance of `50,000 a year plus additional `30,000 for senior citizens falling in category of Below Poverty line (BPl) and others with yearly income of less than `72,000 in the State, will also remain open to be opted for Above Poverty line (APl) at a remarkably low premium rate as compared to open market insurance premium.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Tripathi said after the cabinet meeting which approved all 35 proposals put across to it for consideration that the plan is being launched with a vision that the poor of the State wouldn’t be kept waiting for Rashtriya Swasthya Beema Yojna anymore. “The plan which State Government is going to launch soon will be integrated with any other similar health insurance plan from centre in the future. Construction sector workers, street vendors, rickshaw pullers, auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, garbage collectors and other such people are primary targets of the plan,” said Tripathi. He added that private insurers have been kept away from the plan this time.
The cabinet also approved generation and filling of hundreds of employees in different departments. The positions will be filled in centre sponsored child development plans, district education and training institutes, Sadar Hospital in Ranchi which has been sanctioned 107 different posts for running 200-bed capacity for mother and childcare, Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) Dhanbad which has been granted 375 posts in class-3 and 4 and MGM Jamshedpur against 384 similar vacancies, CM Small and Cottage Industries Development Board which has been sanctioned 300 posts, and five Assistant Sessions Judge cum Civil Judge (one each in all five Commissionaries in State) who would look after matters of investors’ protection, among others.
Approval of real estate regulation act would not only force builders to complete projects on time, but would also protect hard earned money of investors. Draft Master Plan 2040 for three cities – Garhwa, Koderma and Majhiaon was also approved by the cabinet along with awarding preparation of Master Plan for Chas and Deoghar under Amrit Yojna to Shristi Urban Infrastructure Development limited. At the same time, the cabinet also relaxed local movie named Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi from entertainment tax and has okayed Jharkhand Cinema Promotion Policy 2017.
One of the important approvals comes for District Boards, which have been sanctioned a sum of `100 crores for drinking water and sanitation, lED lights and other activities, including fund generation. The move reaffirms government’s vision of development through planning according to local needs. The cabinet also approved increment of honorarium of mediators in Jharkhand State legal Services Authority (JHAlSA) to `3,000.