THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has decided to provide total health insurance coverage to differently abled people in the state. According to census carried out in 2015, the total population of differently abled persons is 7,93,937. The government has decided to deposit the share of beneficiaries for 1 lakh differently abled persons who are in BPL category by March 2017. The state government is depositing premium of Rs 3,57,00,000 to insurance company and the social security mission is coordinating the scheme on behalf of social justice department.
The insurance will be available to blind, partially blind, those who have been treated of leprosy, hearing impaired, people with walking disability and mentally challenged people. They all are categorised as differently abled under the Persons with Disability Act 1995. The government is directly depositing the beneficiary share for the insurance scheme. Each family will have insurance limit of up to Rs 2 lakh annually. Special Identity Cards: Of the 7.93 lakh differently abled people, only 2 lakh posses authorised disability identity cards.
However, these cards cannot be used for various purposes. The state government is now planning to provide identity cards to all differently abled people using the Central government’s UDID scheme software. The government plans to run a massive campaign to ensure that the special I cards are distributed within one year. The government has set aside Rs 4 crore for this purpose. Social justice department, health department, revenue department are jointly implementing this scheme.
