Smart card for BPL families: Only 38% covered so far

According to information released by the Union health department,Punjab has made 1,70,191 smart cards against the total number of 4,51,935 BPL families.

Sandeep Jakhar,president of Youth Congress,Abohar,said: “In Ferozepur district alone,against 52,868 BPL families,cards of only 18,645 families have been made,while in Amritsar,only 9,046 cards have been made against 41,468 BPL families. Gurdaspur has 29,295 BPL families,but only 11,142 cards have been made till date.”

It is alleged that though some families have been issued the smart cards,these are of no use to them because they don’t know which are the hospitals that have been authorised for their treatment.

The nodal officer issuing smart cards in Punjab admitted that only 1.7 lakh cards have been made.

“In the intial years,some teething problems do come,but we are creating awareness so that more and more families can avail this facility,” said Saroj,adding that those who have the cards are availing the services as they have been given the list of hospitals along with the card.

Sources,however,confirmed that most families are unaware of the cards and its utility.

Jakhar said he would take up the matter with the state government and would also inform Rahul Gandhi,general secretary of the All Indian Congress Committee,so that he could get a campaign launched under the party’s ‘Aam Aadmi ka Sipahi’ programme to create awareness among the people.

Over 100 people had to return empty-handed at a camp organised in Zone D office of the Municipal Corporation in Ludhiana as the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna representatives failed to put up any stall.

In the recent past,smart cards of BPL families of Abohar area were found dumped near Jaiton in Faridkot.

An FIR was registered against the agent.