Himcare scheme not to be scrapped but reformed: Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the Himcare scheme, which provides cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to a family, will not be stopped but reformed.

In response to a question on Himcare in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that the scheme had been stopped in private hospitals after complaints of irregularities were received. “Our Cabinet Sub-Committee is looking into the matter. We will move ahead as per the recommendations of the sub-committee,” he added.

Sukhu said the sub-committee was looking into the complaints of overcharging by some private hospitals. He added that the payments of Rs 227 crore and Rs 127 crore to government and private hospitals, respectively, under the Himcare Scheme were pending.

To a question on the Sahara scheme, the Chief Minister said that it was a good scheme started by the previous BJP government but this, too, was being misused. “The scheme is for people suffering from chronic diseases but some ineligible people, too, were claiming its benefits on the basis of forged documents,” he added.

He said that the government was strengthening its institutions by filling vacant posts and providing state-of-the-art equipment and machinery in hospitals. “We want to provide the best health facilities to people and we are working in that direction,” he added.

Meanwhile, the government and the Opposition sparred over a question on the NABARD scheme. The Opposition alleged that only schemes meant for the constituencies of the Congress MLAs were being approved under NABARD and the detailed project reports (DPRs) for the constituencies of the opposition MLAs were not even being prepared.

Sukhu rejected allegations of bias and said that uniform development of the entire state was the priority of his government. To MLA Randhir Sharma’s question, the Chief Minister said that the limit of the Assembly constituency under the NABARD scheme was fixed at Rs 175 crore, and the government had increased it by 20 crore to 195 crore.

The Chief Minister informed the House that from April 1, 2022, to July 31, 2024, 350 schemes were approved in the state under NABARD, while 318 schemes were pending.

To MLA Sanjay Rattan’s question as to why two officials were brought on deputation to the University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, when eligible people were available in the state, Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that the process to end their deputation had been started. An amount of around Rs 1.67 crore had been spent on their salaries and allowances from August 2022 to till now.

“The BJP government had brought these two officials on deputation for two years but now the financial position of the university is not good and hence the process to end their deputation has been started,” he added.