SHIMLA,06.01.26-Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today conducted a comprehensive review of the Chief Minister Sahara Scheme and the Himcare Scheme here.
During the review, the Chief Minister directed that a local audit of the Sahara Scheme be carried out to ensure that its benefits reach only eligible beneficiaries. He stated that a three-member committee would be constituted in the districts to verify the eligibility of the beneficiaries under the scheme.
Sh. Sukhu said that the health sector remains a top priority of the State Government, and continuous efforts are being made to streamline systems and strengthen service delivery. He directed that beneficiaries of the Sahara Scheme be linked with the Him Parivar Portal. He also issued necessary guidelines regarding various parameters and budgetary provisions under the Himcare Scheme.
The Chief Minister said that beneficiary verification at the time of registration under the Himcare Scheme would be carried out through face recognition, for which the Departments of Health and Digital Technologies & Governance have been issued necessary directions.
He further stated that analysis of Himcare Scheme data would be undertaken to assess the prevalence of various diseases in the state and to support evidence-based policy formulation in the health sector. He also directed the authorities to clear pending payments of private hospitals under the Himcare Scheme. Additionally, permission will be granted for treatment in private wards of government health institutions under the scheme.
Emphasizing the vision of a Healthy Himachal, the Chief Minister said that several advanced facilities have been established to provide quality healthcare services to the people near to their homes. These include robotic surgery, the State Cancer Institute, PET scan and SPECT scan facilities. He added that initiatives such as 70 Model Health Institutions, the Rogi Mitra Scheme, Wellness Centres, and the Trauma Centre at IGMC Shimla were significant steps towards making the health sector self-reliant.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister’s Principal Advisor (Innovation, Digital Technologies and Governance) Gokul Butail, Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, Secretary Health Priyanka Basu Ingty and senior officers of the Health Department.