L-G Manoj Sinha announces new health scheme for J&K, web portal for public grievances

In his first press conference since becoming L-G, Sinha announces extension of Ayushman Bharat benefit of Rs 5 lakh per family to J&K’s entire population.

File photo of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha | Photo: ANI

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday announced the approval of the J&K Health Scheme and the launch of an Integrated Grievance Redressal System (JKIGRMS), a first-of-its-kind web portal.

The L-G said the health scheme would provide universal health insurance to all the residents of the UT, and would have the same benefits as available under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), with an annual health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family.

“The scheme will cover about 15 lakh families, over and above the 5.97 lakh families already covered under AB-PMJAY,” Sinha said in his first press conference since becoming the second L-G of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir last month.

The objective, the L-G said, is to cover the entire population of J&K (about 1.25 crore), of which only around 30 lakh (people) are currently under the ambit of AB-PMJAY. He also sought suggestions for a name for the health scheme.

Round-the-clock monitoring of grievances

Sinha said the Administrative Council had decided to conduct round-the-clock monitoring of complaints and grievances lodged by the public.

“After meeting various delegations and journalists recently, we came to know that officers from the administration and other departments related to governance aren’t available for the people. So we have rolled out JKIGRMS,” the veteran politician and former Union miniter said.

“There will be a minute-by-minute status update of the grievances on the portal. And if any laxity is found, we can talk to the elders of the district concerned, and the officers concerned. Action will follow if any delay or callousness is found in addressing the people’s grievances,” he said.

The portal has been launched despite the suspension of high speed internet in J&K since 5 August last year, when the Narendra Modi government revoked Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories, J&K and Ladakh. Since then, high speed internet has only been restored in two of the 20 districts of J&K — Ganderbal and Udhampur — last month.

Asked if restrictions on high speed internet will affect the functioning of the web portal, Sinha said: “You have raised the issue, we will see what about it (internet).”

The J&K government added in a statement: “The revamped system shall decentralise the handling and redressal of public grievances by making district collectors/deputy Commissioners the primary level of receiving, disposing and monitoring grievances. As such, the existing portal has now been integrated downwards to the district level by mapping another nearly 1,500 public offices in 20 districts of the union territory.”

It added that this is the first online grievance management system/portal in the country that links to the central government at the top, and downwards to districts, tehsils and blocks.