Not many takers for health insurance scheme in Muktsar

In 8 months, just 26,987 farming families have enrolled themselves

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 8

The state government’s free-of-cost health cover up to Rs 50,000 and life insurance of Rs 5 lakh under the Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana to poor people has not got a positive response from farmers in the Chief Minister’s district.

In the past eight months, just 26,987 farming families of Muktsar district have enrolled themselves under this insurance scheme. However, as per the figures of the Agriculture Department, there are nearly 50,000 farming families in the district.

The Mandi Board officials said they had provided 15,807 insurance cards to the farmers till date and some of them even availed benefit of this scheme.

However, they added that some farmers owing allegiance to opposition parties were reluctant to enrol under this scheme. Earlier some hospitals had denied benefit of this scheme to patients and the message spread like fire.

Kulbir Singh Matta, District Mandi Officer, Muktsar, appealed to the farmers to avail benefit of this scheme and enrol themselves as beneficiaries without any hassle at any of the four market committees in the district

“Any farmer can enrol his family by producing the ‘J’ form of his crop, Aadhaar card or ration card,” said Matta.

Besides, the district administration has also roped in block development and panchayat officers (BDPOs) and panchayat secretaries in this process.

Sources said the situation was almost similar in the neighbouring districts as well.

Courtesy: The Tribune