Nitish Kumar says Modicare would be implemented with 'full perseverance' in Bihar

PATNA: Lauding the ‘Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana’ (AB-PMJAY) as the “best scheme for poor families”, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said his government would implement the PM’s flagship scheme with “full perseverance” and “complete transparency” in all 38 districts of the state.
More than 1.08 crore families in Bihar would be covered under the scheme which came into effect in the state from Sunday itself after nationwide launch by PM Narendra Modi from Ranchi.
“I congratulate PM Narendra Modi for launching such a virtuous health scheme under which a family can get treatment upto worth Rs 5 lakh per annum without paying any money at the listed private or government hospital. I had come to know about this scheme during the Budget speech of finance minister Arun Jaitley. Even at that time I had said that the scheme is very good,” Nitish said while launching the scheme along with Bihar governor Lal Ji Tandon at a colourful programme at Gyan Bhawan here.
Recalling the irregularities committed in the Rashtriya Swashthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) in which some doctors in Samastipur and other districts had withdrawn huge government money by making a series of fake insurance claims on the basis of unperformed surgery for uterus removal, the CM said the implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme would require regular monitoring with complete transparency, otherwise the wrongdoers could do anything to make money.
“In the RSBY, the health insurance amount was only upto Rs 30,000 per beneficiary. When the wrongdoers can commit irregularities with the insurance amount of Rs 30,000 only, what can’t they do with an insurance amount of Rs 5 lakh (per family),” Nitish said and asked the state government officials to remain extra alert from such bad persons while providing insurance benefits to the intended families.
The fake claims in the RSBY were hugely highlighted by media at national level in the name of ‘uterus scam.’ Nitish said the irregularities committed in the RSBY must not be repeated in this scheme and for that the officials would have to remain extra cautious.
CM further said, Bihar government has also made arrangements for registration under the Ayushman Bharat scheme at the state government’s resident commissioner’s office in New Delhi and the investment commissioner’s office in Mumbai. “If a beneficiary from Bihar has gone to Mumbai for treatment of cancer, he can make request for benefits by making registration at our Mumbai office,” Nitish said.
Addressing the function, Governor termed Nitish Kumar as a ‘Karmayogi’ CM and hoped that the CM alongwith deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi would implement the centre’s flagship health scheme with full dedication in Bihar. Tandon further lauded PM Modi for the scheme.
In Bihar, around 400 private and government hospitals have so far been linked with the AB-PMJAY.
Other prominent leaders who addressed the programme were union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Ram Kripal Yadav, Bihar Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bihar legislative council’s officiating chairman Haroon Rashid, deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, health minister Mangal Pandey and principal secretary (health) Sanjay Kumar.