8.5 lakh Agri-Households in Punjab to be covered under Health Insurance Scheme

Punjab government announced that as many as 8.5 lakh agricultural households in Punjab would be covered under a health insurance plan. Moreover this health program is open to all farmers who have 'J' forms and 'sugarcane weighment slips.' 

Finance, subsidy claims, and tax waivers all require 'J' forms. 

The Punjab Mandi Board has created a dedicated platform for the first time this year to make it easier for farmers to register for this scheme. Farmers no longer have to go to the market committee headquarters to apply manually, as was the case previously. 

Farmers interested in applying can do so by going to the Punjab Mandi Board's website, www.emandikaran-pb.in, and uploading the necessary papers, according to an official statement released on Sunday quoting Punjab Mandi Board Chairman Lal Singh. 

He also stated that from August 20, 2021, all of these farmers and their families will be protected. 

According to 'J' forms and' sugarcane weighment slips,' the number of farmers insured under the health insurance plan during the last year of the scheme was about 5.01 lakh. 

He said that the number of farmers has now risen to over 8.5 lakh, with 7.91 lakh farmers having filed 'J' forms with the Mandi Board and 55,000 cane growers. 

These 5.01 lakh farmers who were previously enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana last year do not need to re-apply on the platform, according to Singh. 

Singh said that the Board will cover the whole payment for all farmers' insurance coverage, and that they would be eligible for cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per year. 

They would be granted benefits for the next year based on previous papers, but roughly 3.5 lakh farmers who are registered as 'J' form holders and 'sugarcane weighment slips' after October 1, 2020, will have to apply for health insurance through the portal. 

The Market Committees have also been ordered to assist every farmer in obtaining this cashless treatment option in a timely and efficient way, he added. 

Meanwhile, Mandi Board Secretary Ravi Bhagat stated that beginning August 20, qualified farmers may register online through a portal to get health services from empaneled institutions. 

Apart from the family head, he added, husband/wife, father/mother, unmarried children, divorced daughter and her minor children, widowed daughter-in-law and her minor children would also be deemed eligible for the scheme's benefits. 

These farmers can seek treatment for 1,579 health issues at any of the 642 private hospitals and 208 government facilities that have been accredited. 

Medical illnesses covered by the health insurance plan include significant surgical procedures such as heart surgery, cancer therapy, joint replacement, and accident situations, among others.