Bhubaneswar: In yet another milestone in the history of healthcare, the state government’s flagship health scheme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojna (BSKY) culminated Wednesday after covering all 30 districts.
Launched in Malkangiri August 20, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik concluded the event by distributing BSKY Smart Health Cards in Kendrapara and Jajpur districts through video conferencing.
As many as 11 lakh people in Kendrapara and 15.40 lakh people in Jajpur will get smart health cards under the scheme.
Addressing the people of both the districts, the Chief Minister said, “Smart Health Cards of the BSKY would alleviate the cost of hospitalisation for the poor people that provides free treatment at the best hospitals in the country.”
“There has been a long-standing demand for industrial development in Kendrapara and the district would be added to the country’s industrial map very soon,” the Chief Minister said while launching various projects worth over Rs 1,500 crore in the coastal district.
Similarly, the Chief Minister also inaugurated several projects worth Rs 2,000 crore in Jajpur.
Emphasising that the state government is committed to providing safe drinking water, the CM said all households in Jajpur municipality have been provided with piped water.
“Rs 1,000 crore worth of projects have been started for providing piped drinking water in four other blocks including Vyasanagar. Similarly, piped water projects are also being implemented for the Bari and Korei blocks. By 2024, all households in the district will have access to piped water,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that BSKY Smart Health Card service has been launched across the state from September 1 and will benefit 3.5 crore people from 96 lakh households.
“Odisha is the only state where the state government bears all the costs, from testing to treatment to all patients affected with Coronavirus. With the help of Smart Health Cards, the plight of poor people will be alleviated,” the CM stated.
The function was attended by Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, Water Resources Minister Raghunandan Das, Science and Technology Minister Ashok Panda and MLA Shashi Bhushan Behera.
PNN
