Lucknow, Jan 29 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday approved cashless medical treatment schemes for teachers and education staff under both the basic and secondary education departments, extending the facility to nearly 15 lakh beneficiaries across the state.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said 32 proposals were placed before the Council of Ministers, of which 30 were approved while two were rejected.
Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh said the Cabinet gave its consent to implement the cashless medical facility announced earlier by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Teachers' Day for personnel associated with the basic education sector. The scheme will cover 11,95,391 beneficiaries and entail an estimated expenditure of Rs 358.61 crore.
Those covered include 4,34,426 teachers of the Basic Education Council, 13,380 teachers of government-aided junior high schools, 4,72,735 teachers of self-financed recognised schools under the council, 1,42,929 'Shiksha Mitras', 24,717 instructors of upper primary schools, 7,479 wardens and full-time and part-time teachers of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, 97,344 cooks under the PM Poshan scheme and 2,00,581 special educators.
Singh said a district-level verification mechanism would be put in place for teachers working in self-financed recognised schools. Committees headed by the District Inspector of Schools and the Basic Education Officer will verify beneficiaries before extending the cashless facility.
Khanna said the Cabinet has also approved a similar cashless medical scheme for teachers under the secondary education department, calling it a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state.
Under the decision, teachers of non-government aided secondary schools and teachers working in government-funded secondary schools will be eligible for cashless treatment, he said.
Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi said the scheme will also cover teachers working on honorarium and their dependent family members. Beneficiaries will be entitled to cashless inpatient (IPD) treatment not only in government hospitals but also in empanelled private hospitals, she added.
Khanna said around 2,97,579 teachers under the secondary education department will benefit from the scheme, with an estimated expenditure of about Rs 89.25 crore.
Responding to queries, Singh said the basic education scheme is on the lines of the Ayushman Bharat health programme run by the health department, while Khanna asserted that the Cabinet decision ensures comprehensive healthcare coverage for teachers across education sectors.
Khanna clarified this scheme is state-sponsored.
He said that those among the beneficiaries who are already covered under any other state government funded scheme, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or the Chief Minister Jan Arogya Yojana, will not be eligible to avail benefits under this scheme.