Chandigarh, August 5: While extending the Ayushman Bharat – Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (AB-SSBY) for one year, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday decided to bring state government employees/pensioners and employees of non-government organized sectors, including private sector/boards and corporations, into the fold of the health insurance cover.
The Department of Health and Family Welfare has been asked to prepare a detailed proposal for inclusion of the new categories into the ambit of the scheme, which provides insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh per family per year for 42.27 lakh poor and other families. The scheme will now be extended from August 20, 2020 to August 19, 2021, as per the Cabinet decision.
After the meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, a spokesperson said of the 42.27 lakh families current under the scheme’s cover, 14.86 lakh poor families had been identified as per the ‘Socio-Economic Caste Census’ (SECC) of 2011. Of the remaining 16.30 lakh families are Smart Ration Card holder families, and 11.10 lakh J-form holder farmers, sugarcane growers having weighment slips, construction workers, accredited journalists’ families and small traders’ families.
Notably, the Cabinet has given approval for extension of Ayushman Bharat – Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana for the next policy plan period i.e. August 20, 2020 to August 19, 2021 at the tendered premium rate of Rs. 1100 per family per year, by IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance Company Ltd., selected through tendering process. The total estimated cost of premium, i.e. Rs. 464.98 Cr, @ Rs. 1100 per family per year, to be shared amongst the Center, State Treasury, and the participating departments (Punjab Mandi Board, Building and Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, Excise and Taxation Department, PUNMEDIA), is Rs. 98.07 Cr., Rs. 244.71 Cr. and Rs. 122.18 Cr. respectively.
