Is the Centre Favouring Anil Ambani’s Reliance Insurance in J&K?
The health scheme has caused suspicion in the state with people questioning the choice of insurance company.
The governor's administration in Jammu and Kashmir rolled out a group mediclaim health insurance scheme for employees, pensioners and accredited journalists, on 20 September, according to PTI.
Quoting Principal Secretary Navin K Choudhary, the report further added that while the scheme was mandatory for employees of PSUs, autonomous bodies and universities, it will be optional for pensioners and other categories of employees and accredited journalists.
However, this scheme has caused suspicion, as a private company was chosen to be mandatory for certain government employees.
“Why Reliance?”
Congress leader Salman Nizmi alleged that the insurance scheme was part of the Modi-Reliance nexus, indirectly referring to the Rafale deal in which the BJP government at the Centre has been accused of favouring Reliance.
Others on Twitter also alleged that the Prime Minister has “no concern” for public opinion, and that he "prefers” to help businessmen like Gautam Adani and Anil Ambani.
According to PTI, this insurance scheme is expected to provide health insurance coverage of up to Rs 6 lakh per employee or pensioner per annum along with their five dependent family members on floater basis.
A Daily Excelsior report said that the Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) had objected to the move.
“The government employees are being made scapegoats. It is totally unjustified and a big burden on the state government employees, in specific the non-gazetted cadre,” the employees body said.
The EJAC further claimed that the same annual premium of mediclaim insurance policy for all categories of government employees was “unfair, unjustified and unacceptable.”
They alleged that only a particular company benefited from it and demanded the government’s immediate withdrawal from it.
(With inputs from PTI, Daily Excelsior)
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