TN Govt to implement health insurance for unorganised sector

Chennai, Apr 25 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to accept in principle the National Health Insurance Scheme 'Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana' for unorganised sector workers, belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) categories and their families, State Labour Minister T M Anbarasan told the Assembly today.

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for his department, he said the government had ordered to implement the scheme in Kancheepuram and Tirunelveli districts on pilot basis as per the guidelines issued by the Centre.

The Minister said the scheme, aimed at providing health cover to the BPL families, was announced by the Centre in October last. While the Centre had contributed 75 per cent of the total premium, amounting to Rs 565 per year per family, the State Government had to contribute 25 per cent of the premium.

Mr Anbarasan said the State Government had allotted a sum of Rs 5.25 crore towards its share of 25 per cent of premium for this year. The Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board had been nominated as nodal agency for implementing the scheme, he added.

He said unorganised sector was a major component of the labour force in the State and the Government was committed to the upliftment of workers in general and unorganised workers in particular.

More than 5.77 lakh unorganised workers, registered in various workers welfare boards, have been given an assistance of Rs 19.60 crore in the last two years, after the DMK came to power, he said.

UNI WS SV KP1754