Smart health cards rolled out in Angul and Dhenkanal

ANGUL:  Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday included Angul and Dhenkanal in the much-hyped Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) by launching smart health cards in the two districts. Around 10 lakh people of both the districts will benefit from the BSKY cards.

The CM also laid foundation stone of various projects worth around Rs 1,176 crore in Angul and Rs 880 crore in Dhenkanal. Naveen accompanied by 5T Secretary VK Pandian arrived at Angul stadium at 11.30 am. He was received by North central Range DIG Sarthak Sarangi, Angul Collector Sidhartha Shankar Swain and SP Jagmohan Meena.

Addressing the gathering in a pre-recorded message, the CM said the smart health cards will help the poor get access to medical services without any financial difficulty. Beneficiaries can avail services from 200 top hospitals of the country with help of these cards.

On the occasion, the CM remembered former Chief Minister Naba Krushna Choudhury and his wife Malati Choudhury and offered tributes to the personalities of Talcher Praja Mandal movement.  Deputy Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly and Angul MLA Rajanikanta Singh and Minister Ashok Panda also spoke. 

Later on the day, Naveen attended a public meeting in Dhenkanal and paid rich tributes to freedom fighters Sahid Baji Rout and Sarangdhar Das. Ministers Samir Dash and Prafulla Mallick besides local MP Mahesh Sahoo and MLA Sudhir Samal also spoke on the occasion. So far, 15 districts in the district have been covered under BSKY.  The State government aims to cover around 3.5 crore people of 73 lakh families under the scheme.

BJP, Cong protest
The Chief Minister’s programmes in Angul and Dhenkanal on Saturday were met with stiff opposition from the BJP and Congress. A clash broke out between BJD and BJP supporters at Ganesh Bazaar Chowk in Dhenkanal. Sources said BJP workers took out a rally carrying black flags to protest the CM’s visit. They were confronted by BJD workers which led to a scuffle before police intervened and brought the situation under control. Similar black flag protest was also staged by BJP leaders in Angul. In a separate incident, former MP Rudra Narayan Pani, ex-MLA Anjali Behera and some other BJP leaders were picked up by police for staging protests in Dhenkanal town. Pani alleged that they were taken to Kapilash jungle in the police van. DIG Sarangi said nearly 30 persons were detained in both the districts for opposing the CM’s visit.