Bhubaneswar: With the distribution of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) Smart Card among 11.50 lakh eligible beneficiaries in Kendrapada and 15.40 lakh in Jajpur district, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday covered all 30 districts of Odisha.
Altogether, 3.5 crore people of 96 lakh households of the state have been brought under the ambit of the scheme, which was first launched in Malkangiri on August 20.
On the occasion, the CM said he was personally happy to be launching such a seminal scheme for the poor in the state. “The BSKY scheme became effective on September 1 and from that day it heralded a new era in the state,” he said.
Naveen further said that every life was precious and whether it was a rickshaw-puller or a fisherman, the focus of his government’s welfare schemes was to help them lead a respectable life.
Under this scheme, a person can avail all the required treatments up to Rs 5 lakh per annum at over 200 hospitals without any hassle using this card. For women members of the family, the limit is Rs 10 lakh.
The CM also launched development projects worth Rs 1,500-cr for Kendrapada. “Industrial development Kendrapada was long overdue and the state government has inked a pact with Arcelor Mittal for the establishment of a steel plant in the district.”
He further said Kendrapada was close to Biju Babu’s heart and he considered it his ‘Karma Bhumi’.
Naveen also inaugurated several projects worth Rs 2,000 crore in Jajpur. He said that all households in Jajpur municipality have been provided with piped water. “A Rs 1,000 crore project has been started for providing piped water in four other blocks, including Vyasanagar. Similarly, piped water projects are also being implemented for Bari and Korei blocks. By 2024, all households in the district will have access to piped water,” he said.
Under Mission Shakti, loans of Rs 222 crore have been provided to SHGs to enhance their business, he added.
Health Minister Nabakishore Das, Information Minster Raghunandan Das and MLA Sashibhushan Behera were present in Kendrapada during the event, while at Jajpur, along with the health minister, Science and Technology Minister Ashok Panda and School and Mass Education Minister Samir Das attended the event.
