Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

18-May-2012 16:56 IST

Private Insurance Services

The Government had launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) on 01.10.2007 to provide for smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30000 per annum on a family floater basis with the premium being shared by Central Government and the State Government in the ratio of 75:25 respectively to BPL families (a unit of five) in the unorganized sector, including single women, widows and senior citizens. The scheme became operational w.e.f 01.04.2008. This Scheme is being implemented by public sector general insurance companies as well as private insurance companies.

RSBY has been extended to building and other construction workers, street vendors, beedi workers, MGNREGA beneficiaries and domestic workers. As on 30.04.2012 the scheme is being implemented in 25 States/UTs. More than 2.95 crore smart cards have been issued upto 30th April, 2012

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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DSM/SS/SL

Smart-card cashless health insurance extends family floater cover to BPL households with shared government premium support. Smart-card cashless health insurance provides an annual family-floater cover for eligible BPL households with the premium financed by Centre and State under a shared arrangement, administered by public and private insurers through entitlement smart cards enabling cashless inpatient care; the scheme's scope has been extended to specified occupational groups and is implemented at State/UT level with enrolment and card issuance as operative mechanisms.