Ruling Congress’ central leadership may not have approved Kadappa MP Jaganmohan Reddy’s yatra in Andhra Pradesh, but the Union government is readying to approve a proposal to adopt Rajiv Arogyashree scheme, a cherished programme initiated by his father and former AP chief minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy in the state.
The proposal is also there to merge the state scheme with that of Rashtriya Swasthaya Bima Yojna (RSBY). The move is certain to reduce burden on the state exchequer.
During his lifetime as the chief minister of the state, Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy had made several attempts to convince the Central government to adopt the innovative scheme aimed at providing modern medical facility to people living Below Poverty Line (BPL). Presently, the scheme provides health insurance coverage to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh to each BPL individual, who could be treated for a list of ailments.
Though the proposal was considered on several occasions, but nothing could happen so far. “Now the Planning Commission has worked out a detailed note to adopt the AP scheme as Central scheme and merge it with RSBY. This will not only strengthen the scheme, but also avoid duplication,” sources in the Planning Commission said.
They added that for the purpose, plan panel deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has convened a meeting of the members of the panel on Monday to firm up the proposal, which will soon be put before the Union cabinet for its approval.
RSBY is also a health insurance scheme for the BPL families, which assures medical expenses coverage up to Rs 30,000 to all identified BPL individuals in all the states. The cost of running the scheme is borne jointly by Centre and the states.