Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur holds crucial meeting with 25 departments to review SC Sub-Plan for welfare of SC community

*Directions issued to release SC Sub-Plan funds immediately and ensure benefits reach the grassroots*

*Funds earmarked for Scheduled Castes must be spent exclusively for the SC community: Dr. Baljit Kaur*

Chandigarh, January 2: Punjab’s Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Dr. Baljit Kaur, chaired an important meeting to review the progress of the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) being implemented in the state for the socio-economic welfare of the Scheduled Caste community. Senior officers from around 25 departments implementing schemes under the SC Sub-Plan participated in the meeting, during which detailed discussions were held.

During the meeting, Dr. Baljit Kaur reviewed the initiatives undertaken by various departments under the SC Sub-Plan during the financial year 2025–26. She directed the officials to expedite the utilisation of funds allocated for schemes where expenditure has not yet been made and to ensure that the funds are released immediately so that the benefits of government welfare schemes reach the people at the grassroots level without delay.

The Minister categorically stated that the funds allocated under the SC Sub-Plan must be utilised exclusively for the welfare of the Scheduled Caste community and that any negligence or misuse would not be tolerated. She further directed all departments to submit detailed lists of beneficiaries and villages covered under their respective schemes to the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities to ensure proper, transparent and effective utilisation of the earmarked funds.

Dr. Baljit Kaur also emphasised the need to design new, innovative and people-centric schemes in line with the present-day requirements of the Scheduled Caste community. She said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S.Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is continuously taking effective measures for the holistic development, empowerment and improvement of the living standards of the Scheduled Castes.

The Minister added that such review meetings would be held regularly to closely monitor the progress of the SC Sub-Plan so that the implementation of schemes related to Scheduled Castes becomes more timely, streamlined and result-oriented.

The meeting was attended by Social Security, Women and Child Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Sh Vikas Partap, IAS, Principal Secretary of the nodal department, Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Sh. V.K. Meena, IAS; Director-cum-Additional Secretary, Ms. Vimmi Bhullar, IAS; Research Officer Dr. Livpreet Kaur; and Shri Kamaljit Singh, among others.

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*Punjab Govt all set to launch ₹10 lakh cashless health insurance scheme as agreement signed with United India Insurance Company*

*• CM Bhagwant Singh Mann & AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal to launch health insurance scheme on January 15*

*•New scheme aims to provide cashless treatment up to ₹10 lakh per family per year to all residents of Punjab, including govt employees & pensioners: Dr. Balbir Singh*

*• Historic agreement signed in presence of Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh*

*• No income cap or exclusion criteria; bona fide residents can enrol using Aadhaar and voter ID: Balbir Singh*

*• 824 hospitals already empanelled to ensure seamless delivery of secondary & tertiary care: Balbir Singh*

CHANDIGARH, January 2:In a historic move toward achieving Universal Health Coverage as promised by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Government is all set to roll out the ‘Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna’ (MMSY) this month. Marking a significant milestone, an agreement was signed on Friday with the United India Insurance Company in the presence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh to provide ₹10 lakh cashless health insurance cover to all families of Punjab.

This development follows the recent announcement by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann to launch the scheme in January 2026, ensuring health dignity and financial protection for every household. The agreement was signed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) State Health Agency (SHA) Sanyam Aggarwal and Executive Director United India Insurance company Mathew George.

Declaring it a landmark reform, Health Minister Balbir Singh said that the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna significantly expands health protection from the earlier ₹5 lakh coverage, which was limited to specific categories. “The new scheme aims to provide cashless treatment up to ₹10 lakh per family per year to all residents of Punjab, including government employees and pensioners,” he said.

He said that CM Bhagwant Singh Mann and AAP National Convenor of Arvind Kejriwal will formally launch this scheme on January 15, 2026.

The Health Minister emphasised that the scheme is designed for total inclusivity, featuring no income cap or exclusion criteria. “Enrolment has been made simple and accessible through Common Service Centres (CSCs) using only Aadhaar and Voter IDs, after which beneficiaries will receive dedicated MMSY health cards. A helpline will be launched soon to facilitate the process,” he added.

Highlighting the operational framework, Minister Balbir Singh informed that United India Insurance Company—selected for its proven track record in implementing similar health insurance schemes in other states, such as Tamil Nadu—will provide coverage of ₹1,00,000 per family for all 65 lakh families in the state. “For treatment requirements between ₹1,00,000 and ₹10,00,000, the insurance will be provided by the State Health Agency (SHA) Punjab on a trust basis,” he said.

"The selection of United India Insurance brings the advantage of specialists to manage CPD processing efficiently, ensuring faster claim settlements and reduced payment turnaround times," said the Health Minister.

Dr. Balbir Singh further detailed that the scheme adopts the latest Health Benefit Package (HBP 2.2), ensuring comprehensive coverage through more than 2,000 selected treatment packages. “Beneficiaries can access secondary and tertiary care across a robust network of 824 empaneled hospitals, which currently includes 212 Public Hospitals, eight Government of India Hospitals, and over 600 Private Hospitals. The number of empaneled hospitals is expected to increase further as the scheme progresses,” he concluded.

During this, Principal Secretary Health Kumar Rahul was also present.

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