This story is from October 5, 2021

CM Naveen Patnaik out on people-connect exercise in Gajapati district

Whether it’s election or no election, Naveen Patnaik sticks to his strategy of staying connected with the people.
CM Naveen Patnaik out on people-connect exercise in Gajapati district
CM visited Gajapati district on Monday, distributed Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart cards to beneficiaries in the district and inaugurated many infrastructure projects
BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: Whether it’s election or no election, chief minister Naveen Patnaik sticks to his strategy of staying connected with the people.
The chief minister visited Gajapati district on Monday, distributed Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart cards to beneficiaries in the district and inaugurated many infrastructure projects.
“Whenever someone in the family falls ill, many have to sell land and stop education of children.
Now, using BSKY cards, one can seek treatment in more than 200 hospitals in and outside the state without spending a penny,” Naveen said at Paralakhemundi.
Starting his Malkangiri visit to launch BSKY cards on August 20, Naveen has already made similar trips to Sundargarh and Balangir and is scheduled to visit Puri on October 7 followed by Deogarh some days later.
Naveen has embarked on a relentless touring of the districts though the next probable elections, panchayat and urban local body, is still more than six months away and he has no competition.
At a time when the Narendra Modi-led Centre has been prompting the digital health card under Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission as a revolutionary change in healthcare, Naveen has been visiting the districts launching BSKY smart cards.
Around 92 lakh of state’s 96 lakh families who are beneficiaries of either National Food Security Act or State Food Security Scheme are auto-enrolled for BSKY under state’s revised criteria for the scheme from September 1.

Odisha is among a few states, which have not implemented Ayushman Bharat and launched its own health scheme, BKSY in 2018.
Followed by chief minister’s visit to a particular district, the local ministers and MLAs have been distributing the BSKY cards, two identical ones to each family, which have a 64KB chip with details of family members and a 12-digit registration number, for health coverage upto Rs 5 lakh to a family in a year (and up to Rs 10 lakh for women).
Naveen laid foundation stone of Rs 796.19-crore mega drinking water supply project at Harabhangi reservoir, which will provide drinking water facilities to 80 panchayats of four blocks in Gajapati district. Besides, he also inaugurated 36 different infrastructure facility projects worth more than Rs 23.40 crore.
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