Now, Badal’s photo on health insurance card

Sunday, 20/10/2013

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131020/punjab.htm#1

Muktsar : In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, the Parkash Singh Badal-led state government is going to start another welfare scheme, Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana, that it had promised in its assembly poll manifesto.

Like other welfare schemes in the past, this time too the state authorities have kept a slot on the top of the health insurance cards for the picture of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The scheme entails Rs 30,000 health insurance to 15.4 lakh people enrolled under the state government’s atta-dal scheme.

Though the scheme has been named after Bhagat Puran Singh, the founder of Pingalwara who worked selflessly all his life for the cause of mentally and terminally ill patients, his photograph has failed to find any space on the smart card to be issued among beneficiaries.

Hussan Lal, Managing Director, Punjab Health Systems Corporation, said, “The scheme will be started across the state on November 11. Two insurance companies have been engaged to cover all blue card holders… As the scheme is entirely state sponsored, the cards will carry the Chief Minister’s photograph.” The Health Department has even uploaded the final design of the card on its official website.

Earlier, the state government had put Badal’s photos on ‘108’ ambulance vans, bicycles distributed among girl students under Mai Bhago Vidya scheme, ration cards and portal of Direct Benefit Transfer scheme.

The Chief Minister’s pictures on the ambulances — the scheme was partially funded by the Centre — had led to a war of words between the Akalis and the Congress leaders.

A senior official said there was nothing wrong in using Badal’s pictures on any state government-funded welfare scheme but these would have to be removed once the election code of conduct came into force.

Even during the 2012 assembly elections, the pictures had to be removed from the ambulances.

Thrown out of frame

• The Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana was part of the SAD’s assembly poll manifesto
• Bhagat Puran Singh, founder of Pingalwara, worked selflessly all his life for the cause of mentally and terminally ill patients
• The scheme entails Rs 30,000 health insurance to 15.4 lakh people enrolled under atta-dal scheme
• Badal's picture already appears on '108' ambulance vans, bicycles distributed among girl students under Mai Bhago Vidya scheme and ration cards