Ashok Gehlot's Big Social Welfare Push Ahead Of Rajasthan Election

On the occasion of Rajasthan Day, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot launched an outreach to a specific group of over two lakh beneficiaries of government schemes in 33 districts, spread over 355 blocks.

Through social media, video conferencing and in-person meeting, Mr Gehlot took feedback on his social welfare schemes by directly connecting with over two lakh people across Rajasthan.

The outreach also includes the Chiranjeevi Bima Yojana that provides affordable health insurance, the Right to Health Bill, employment scheme for the urban poor, schemes for farmers and subsidies on electricity and gas.

The Rajasthan government has speed up work on gathering support from the people, ahead of the election later this year.

The Congress hopes to beat the revolving door of politics with the social welfare measures provided by the Gehlot government.

"We are taking feedback as it is our top priority to implement government schemes," Mr Gehlot told reporters after meeting the beneficiaries of the programmes.

The key programme is the insurance scheme, which has been subscribed by 1.4 lakh families. Recently, the insurance cover was increased to Rs 25 lakh.

With so many people under its umbrella, the government hopes this scheme will be a game-changer as it also allows people with illness to also take treatment in private hospitals.

"My son had blood cancer. His bill was Rs 11 lakh and he got treated for it. The insurance paid for it," said Kailash Jangid, whose son was treated at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital.

Ramjilal, a heart patient, said, "I suffered a heart attack and got myself admitted in a private hospital. I was treated at a private facility with the government scheme."

But there have been some complaints from private hospitals that insurance payments are not made on time. Rajasthan Health Minister Prasadi Lal Meena, however, said all payments under the insurance scheme are made within 21 days.

The state government's next step in providing affordable healthcare to all is the Right to Health Bill. It has run into problems with private doctors in Rajasthan going on strike.

The BJP now plans to take the Gehlot government on this issue, apart from exam paper leak controversies and law and order matters.