MGNREGS under RSBY

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), providing for smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30000/- per annum per family ( a unit of five) to BPL families in the unorganized sector, has been extended to such Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) beneficiaries who have worked more than 15 days during the preceding financial year.

The premium is shared between Central and State Government in the ratio of 75:25 and in case of States in North Eastern Region and Jammu & Kashmir, the ratio of sharing of premium is 90:10. The beneficiaries are required to pay registration/ renewal fee of Rs. 30 per annum only.

The numbers of beneficiaries under RSBY, Health insurance scheme for handloom weavers, Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthaya Bima Yojana (RGSSBY) for handicraft artisans, Universal Health Insurance Scheme (UHIS) are at Annexure- I to IV respectively.

The RSBY has also been extended to building and other construction workers registered under the Building and other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1996 and street vendors, beedi workers and domestic workers. It is the endeavour of the Government to extend RSBY to other occupational groups in the unorganized sector in a phased manner.

This information was given by Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge in reply in reply to a written question a)whether the Government is planning to bring Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY); if so, the details thereof; the premium, required to be paid by the workers under the revised scheme; the number of workers from unorganised sectors benefited from various health insurance schemes so far during the last three years, State-wise including Uttarakhand; and whether there is any proposal to provide health insurance to all citizens for basic health under the scheme; and the steps taken by the Government to cover more such workers under the RSBY