Prof. K.V. Thomas, Member of Parliament,
Shri VK Ibrahim Kunju, Member of Legislative Assembly
Shri Muhammed Safarulla, District Collector, Ernakulam
Smt. Asha Sanil, President, District Panchayat,
Shri Francis Tharayil, President, Kunnukara Grama Panchayat
Smt Sheena Sebastain, President, Block Panchayat
Shri John Philip, Deputy General Manager, New India Assurance Company
Smt. Seena Santhosh, Vice-President, Kunnukara Grama Panchayat
Sahodaree Sahodaranmaare,
Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram,
I am very happy to inaugurate the Swasraya Arogya Mission – a Medi-claim Insurance Scheme for the physically challenged persons and their families of Kunnukara Panchayat in Ernakulam district.
As we all know, this programme has been implemented as part of the Sansad Adarsh Grama Yojana, which seeks to translate into reality, the comprehensive vision of Mahatma Gandhi about an ideal Indian village. The Father of our Nation cherished the dream of self reliant and self-sufficient villages. This dream would be a reality only if the people in each village remain healthy and well supported. I understand that this Medical Insurance Scheme is a step towards that direction and I congratulate Prof. K.V. Thomas for initiating this scheme in this Panchayat.
As a scheme launched in 2014 on the birth anniversary of well known leader and social reformer, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana aims to create 6,433 model villages in 2,65,000 Grama Panchayats by 2024.
Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had clearly spelt out his vision while launching this scheme. He had said:
“If we have to build the nation we have to start from the villages".
For this, he wanted every Member of Parliament to transform villages in his/her constituency into model villages, so that very soon, a large number of villages in the country would see holistic development. He also felt that Members of Parliament should sit with people of Panchayats and take decisions on development so as to energize and unite the villages. To put it simply, the task given to every Member of Parliament was to develop the first model village by 2016 and two more by 2019, by adopting villages in the constituency. From 2019 to 2024, the task is that five more Adarsh Grams must be developed by each MP, that is, one model village each year.
I understand that Kunnukara is the second Grama Panchayat selected in Ernakulam Constituency by its very dynamic Member of Parliament, Prof. K.V. Thomas, under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. And, what distinguishes the Swaasraya Arogya Mission is that it is for the first time in the entire nation that such a Medi-claim scheme is being offered for all the physically challenged persons in the Panchayat. By implementing this scheme, Prof. K.V. Thomas has fulfilled a key objective of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, namely, the creation of models of local development, which can be replicated in other villages.
By implementing the Swaasraya Arogya Mission, which would benefit around 1,000 people in the Panchayat, Prof. K.V. Thomas is addressing a major issue in today's health scenario. As we know, the out-of-pocket expenditure for health-care is becoming unbearable to the common man, day by day. Though there has been a remarkable growth in the spread of medical facilities, the cost factor remains uncontrolled. Kerala's Health Policy attempts to address such issues by strengthening Governmental infrastructure in the health sector. However, there is no doubt that any additional help in this matter would be most welcome.
Since the present scheme benefits physically challenged people, we need to consider the fact that the community prevalence of disability is around 3% in Kerala. We need to have an inclusive approach in handling the issue of disability. Any policy for the differently abled should ensuretheir full participation in decision-making and implementation. I am certain that Prof. K.V. Thomas would have considered this aspect before proposing this plan. While we implement this Scheme, we should also have a clear plan to address issues related to disability – a plan that would look at prevention of disabilities, early detection and medical intervention and rehabilitation of people with disabilities.
At this juncture, it would not be out of place to mention a word or two about creating awareness about the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995, which offers among other things, the benefit of reservation to the differently abled people. As Chief Justice of India who delivered a verdict which offered 3% reservation to people with disabilities, I have been surprised that many people and organizations tend to be ignorant about this. In that decision we issued several directions to Union of India, all States and Union territories for implementations of all the provisions. Also, many seem to be unaware that the Parliament had later increased the reservation to 4%. I feel that the attention of every Member of Parliament must focus on the clearing of backlog in the appointment of eligible people under this category in the institutions in their constituencies. While implementing a Medi-claim scheme for the physically challenged, I feel we should also ensure disabled-friendly facilities in all the utility and Government buildings in the Panchayat. Skill identification of the differently abled, vocational training from early schooling etc., could also be considered.
It is gratifying to note that in the present scheme, the beneficiaries do not have the burden of paying the premium of Rs.3,500/-, since 90% of the amount is met by Central Funds and the remaining 10% by the Prof. K.V. Thomas Vidyadhanam Trust. Another matter that deserves appreciation is the wholehearted cooperation and participation of peoples' representatives at various levels in implementing this novel scheme.
I sincerely hope that with the proper implementation of this Scheme, the people of Kunnukara would set a model to other Panchayats in Kerala.
I compliment all the people's representatives for lending support to this mission and for the conduct of this function in a befitting manner.
Ellaavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal
Nanni
Jai Hind
