Keeping in view the Assembly elections in the five states, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, the government is set to extend its olive branch to lakhs of rickshawpullers, taxi and auto drivers and ragpickers by bringing them under the UPA’s flagship health insurance scheme — Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). A proposal to this effect is high on the agenda of the Union Cabinet, which will meet on Thursday.
Incidentally, this is going to be the second such move ahead of the Assembly elections by the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre after it announced 4.5 per cent quota for minorities within 27 per cent reservation for OBCs.
Such a decision by the Union government, if taken at the meeting of the Union Cabinet, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, may go against the Election Commission’s model code of conduct. Already Union minister for minority affairs Salman Khurshid has been slapped with an Election Commission notice for propagating nine per cent reservations to minorities in Central jobs and educational institutions. However, a proposal for bringing more sections of people under the ambit of the RSBY is coming before the Union Cabinet for its consideration. Sources revealed that the government might take a decision on the proposal and avoid making an official announcement to this effect.
According to sources, in 2008, the government had constituted a three-member task force to identify those in the unorganised sector workers, who have not yet been brought under any social safety net and also find ways as to how to bring them under such schemes.
“The task force has submitted its report suggesting that approximately 14 lakh rickshawpullers, 12 lakh rag-pickers and 36 lakh auto and taxi drivers should be offered health facilities under RSBY,” sources informed.
As per the proposal, the governments, both the Centre and the states, will bear the cost of the premium in case of rag-pickers and rickshawpullers, as their economic condition is considered to be miserable. But in case of auto and taxi drivers the beneficiaries will pay 50 per cent of the premium and the Union and state governments jointly pay the rest amount.