PANJIM, DEC 6
The handicraft artisans and their families from Goa will now be insured for their medical requirements by paying meagre premium under central government sponsored scheme.
Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya Bima Yojana (RGSSBY), a scheme sponsored by the office of the Development Commission of Handicraft aims at financially enabling the artisans’ community to access to the best of healthcare facilities in the country.
“This scheme will cover the artisans family of four comprising self and any three out of spouse, dependent parents and children,” Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation’s (GHRSSIDC) Chairman Sameer Salgaoncar told Herald.
Over 900 registered handicraft artisans from the state will avail the benefit of medical insurance upto Rs 14,000 per year. As part of the insurance, central government will be contributing Rs 650 or Rs 725 per annum and artisans will have to pay Rs 150 or Rs 75 per annum.
Salgaoncar said that all the craft persons whether male or female, between the age group of one day to 80 years will be eligible to be covered under RGSSBY.
The scheme, which will be implemented in the state from January 2011, has already got approval from the GHRSSIDC Board of Directors, which met last week.
“The scheme has already got the approval. We will be working on its modules in association with Development Commission of Handicraft, Goa,” the Chairman said.
The scheme, which will be effective from the date of issue of guidelines of RGSSBY by the central government, will make sure that one artisan family receives the benefit of the scheme for three years.
Talking further about the scheme, Salgaoncar said that the scheme would be implemented under Handicraft Artisans Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HACWS) for a period of five years.
“RGSSBY for the first two years i.e. for the year 2007-08 and 2008-09 will be implemented for all categories of handicraft artisans,” he said adding that on implementation of Health Insurance Scheme (HIS) of Ministry of Labour for BPL families, HACWS will be subsumed with HIS.
“And RGSSBY shall be implemented for non BPL handicraft for the next three years, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-2012 as per the central government guidelines,” Chairman stated.