Lucknow, September 15: The Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh has taken a major step toward the welfare of PRD volunteers, school cooks, and Anganwadi workers and helpers working at the grassroots level for society. Along with increasing the honorarium of these service categories, government has decided to provide annual cashless medical treatment of up to Rs. 5 lakh for them and their families. This will help prevent the cost of treatment during illness from placing a heavy burden on financial condition of families. Significantly, the government has included employees’ dependent families as well in the ambit of health security.
The government has announced an annual cashless treatment facility of up to Rs. 5 lakh for more than 31,000 PRD volunteers and their families who assist in the state’s security, traffic, disaster management, and administrative work. Treatment facilities will be available at government and empaneled hospitals. This will relieve PRD volunteers' families of the worry of arranging a large sum of money in case of serious illness.
Government has also combined financial and health security for cooks who prepare food for children in council schools. Along with an increase of Rs. 1,000 per month in their honorarium, the government has decided to provide cashless medical treatment of up to Rs. 5 lakh for them and their families. For families with limited income, this facility can provide major financial support during illness.
The government has also increased the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers who take schemes related to child development, nutrition, and maternal and child health to the grassroots level. The honorarium for workers has been increased from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 12,000, while that of helpers has been increased from Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 6,000. Along with this, the government has decided to provide annual cashless medical treatment of up to Rs. 5 lakh to the families of both.
A clear aspect of Yogi government’s policy is visible in these decisions: concern for the family along with the person serving society. Arranging a large amount of money for treatment during illness is a major challenge for low- and middle-income families. In such situations, cashless health facilities are directly linked to a family's financial security. From PRD personnel to cooks and Anganwadi workers, government has created a dual shield of financial and health security for these service categories by linking health security with an increase in honorarium.
