Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday launched the distribution of smart health cards under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) for Nayagarh and Jagatsinghpur districts and inaugurated projects worth Rs 1,800 crore for both the places through virtual mode.
While 7.70 lakh people of Nayagarh district can avail of the benefits of the smart health card, around 9 lakh beneficiaries of Jagatsinghpur will be covered under the scheme, Patnaik said. With the inclusion of Nayagarh and Jagatsinghpur, the number of districts so far covered under the initiative increased to 28, he said.
On the occasion of Independence Day, the chief minister had announced his plans to provide smart health cards to 3.5 crore people of 96 lakh families and it was launched in September this year. The scheme is aimed at transforming the health services in Odisha, and this would empower the poor, the chief minister said.
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The BSKY smart health card will entitle the beneficiaries to get free health services in more than 200 hospitals of the country, including Odisha. Each family can avail of treatment benefits up to Rs 5 lakh per annum under the scheme and the limit is Rs 10 lakh in the case of women family members. Beneficiaries of National and State Food Security Schemes, Annapurna, and Antodaya schemes will get this card.
Patnaik also inaugurated various projects worth Rs. 1,000 Crore in Nayagarh district while projects worth Rs 800 crore were implemented in Jagatsinghur district. Offering rich tributes to eminent astronomer Pathani Samanta and warriors Raghu-Dibakar, whom he described as “proud sons of Nayagarh soil”, Patnaik said 8 lakh people of the district will be benefited from the implementation of a mega piped water project in the district.
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Raghunath Mohanty(Raghu) and Dibakar Parida of Ranpur village were hanged to death for their resistance to British rule. Appreciating the women members of Mission Shakti, Patnaik said a loan of Rs.164 crore has been provided to them for business promotion. He also lauded their contribution to the Agriculture Entrepreneurship Programme. Patnaik gave assurance to the residents of Jagatsinghpur district that a mega water supply scheme will be implemented in rural areas.
-With PTI Inputs
