Kannada organisations have strongly condemned the Maharashtra government’s health insurance scheme that offers coverage to Marathi speakers in Karnataka villages.
The scheme provides cashless treatment facilities to residents in hospitals in Maharashtra. What has angered the Kannada activists is the provision that the scheme is applicable only to Marathi speakers and not others. Another point of contention is that the application form has to be whetted by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, the local political party that is fighting for merger of Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka with Maharashtra.
“This is the most inhuman act that can be committed by any State government. The application form seeks an affidavit from the applicants that they are Marathi speakers. This is nothing but language-based discrimination. Secondly, it mandates recommendations of all applications by MES, a non constitutional body,” said Ashok Chandaragi, convenor of the Kannada organisations in Belagavi.
