With Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announcing the re-introduction of Yeshaswini health scheme for farmers, there are doubts about duplication of claims by beneficiaries as the scheme has already been subsumed under Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK).
In his maiden Budget presented on Friday, the Chief Minister said the Government has decided to re-introduce “Yeshaswini” scheme with modification to fulfil a long pending demand of farmers. “Under this scheme, quality medical facilities will be made available to farmer families of rural areas. A sum of ₹300 crore will be provided by the State Government for this,” he said.
Yeshaswini, launched in 2003 by the State Government, was one of the largest self-funded healthcare schemes in the country. Covering 823 defined surgical procedures, the scheme enabled rural beneficiaries to avail cashless treatment costing up to ₹2 lakh for a single admission every year for an annual contribution of ₹250. Urban beneficiaries were able to avail treatment costing up to ₹2.5 lakh for an annual contribution of ₹710. About 40 lakh members of cooperative bodies in urban areas were eligible under this scheme.
