Health insurance for Orissa MLAs announced

Bhubaneswar, Nov 13 (UNI) Orissa Assembly Speaker Maheswar Mohanty today announced a health insurance cover of Rs two lakh per annum for all the members of the House.

Mr Mohanty said as per the new insurance scheme, the MLAs would be entitled to get free treatment up to Rs two lakh per annum in 71 hospitals and nursing homes in Orissa and 4000 hospitals and nursing home across the country.

The Speaker said the health insurance cover would be applicable to all the 147 members of the House and the Assembly secretariat would bear the premium cost for the insurance coverage.

Congress MLAs Satya Bhusan Sahu and Tara Prasad Bahinipati urged the Speaker to include the former MLAs under the insurance cover as they were leading a very precarious life.

The Speaker said he had already held discussion with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to bring the former MLAs into the fold of the insurance cover, adding a final decision in this regard would be announced shortly.

UNI DP SJC/SRC1816