PANAJI
The 29th Statehood Day of Goa will witness the launch of the State Government’s three flagship projects, ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.
The new block for women prisoners and industrial block at Colvale prison will be inaugurated at 9 am, followed by the inauguration of the state-of-the-art solid waste management facility at Saligao at 11 am; while the Deendayal Swasth Seva Yojana, the health insurance scheme, will be launched at 4 pm.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji along with Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza and Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienkar, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said, “This is the birth centenary year of Pandit Deen Dayal Sharma. He gave ideological base to the BJP and taking inspiration from him, the BJP is moving forward. So, the State Government decided to name its main flagship scheme in his memory.”
Through this scheme, the State Government will provide medical insurance cover to all the citizens of the State, irrespective of their income limit.
“After the scheme is launched on Monday, the taluka-wise registrations will begin across the State, which will go on for nearly two-and-a-half months. And the scheme will be operational from August 15 onwards”, said Parsekar.
This umbrella scheme will offer health cover to all the residents based in Goa for five years or more. The insurance cover will be up to Rs 2.5 lakhs per annum for a family of three or less members and up to Rs 4 lakh per annum for a family of four and more members. The scheme can be availed by the family collectively or by its members individually.
“GEL has taken the responsibility to issue registration cards for the scheme. Those registering will have to pay one-time fee of Rs 200 for a family of three or less and Rs 400 for a family of four and more members, while members of OBC, SC, ST and specially privileged communities will have to pay only 50 per cent of the registration fee”, he said adding that altogether 447 procedures have been included, of which 276 will be available only at GMC and government-run hospitals only, while 171 procedures will be available at private hospitals too.
“This will ease the burden on GMC and additionally, private hospitals will also be able to get financial backup to improve their infrastructure”, he said.
Claimed to be the first-of-its-kind in Asia, the solid waste management facility will be inaugurated at Saligao plateau.
“This plant has bio-methanation technology by which the emitted gas can be used as fuel or could be even a substitute for power”, he said.
Meanwhile, new block for women prisoners and industrial block will be inaugurated at Colvale prison, when it completes one year of its commissioning.
“The block will be utilised for conducting various workshops on various arts and craft, tailoring, carpentry, paper making and candle making, among others. Spread over an area of 1400 square metres, the industrial block will also house a gallery displaying articles prepared by prisons inmates”, he said.
“We are making efforts to shift all the inmates of sub-jail at Sada as the living conditions are not so favourable there. When we look at the jail as a reformatory home, we have to provide all the necessary facilities to them”, he said.
