CM visits a Duare Sarkar camp in West Midnapore to take stock

Kolkata: Giving a surety check on how people are getting benefitted out of the ongoing "Duare Sarkar" programme, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday all of a sudden visited the camp at the office of West Midnapore's district magistrate to take stock of the situation.

People were elated to find the Chief Minister among them. She spoke to the people standing in a queue at the camp. She wanted to know whether the Duare Sarkar programme is helping them to get the benefits of the state run schemes. She also spoke to the officials present at the camp to get more details on the same.

Banerjee, who was in Midnapore Town since Sunday evening, went to Raniganj in West Burdwan where she attended a benefits distribution programme. On the way to Raniganj, Banerjee all of a sudden stopped her car and went to the Duare Sarkar camp at the district magistrate's office.

The Chief Minister, who attended the benefits distribution programme only after 3 pm extending support to the issue of the bandh for the farmers' right, had announced the Duare Sarkar programme during her visit to Bankura in the last month and this was her first visit to any Duare Sarkar camp which is also in Jangalmahal area where she had restored peace ten years ago.

Since December 1, more than 36.13 lakh people have visited the Duare Sarkar camps across the country where people are getting enrolled to get benefits of almost a dozen state-run schemes.

The Chief Minister said while addressing rally at Raniganj that she spoke to the people standing at the queues. "They have asked me about the Swasthya Sathi card. It is our government only that is providing health insurance to all 10 crore people of the state and people have to pay nothing as premium to avail the coverage of Rs 5 lakh per year per family. Even the card is applicable in many hospitals outside the state as well," Banerjee said. It may be mentioned that allegations have cropped up against BJP of carrying out whispering campaigns at many places to confuse people by saying that the state government will not be able to dish out Rs 5 lakh per family for treatment as stated under the Swasthya Sathi scheme. On the contrary, the state government will pay the health insurance premium on behalf of an individual to help beneficiaries get coverage of Rs 5 lakh under the scheme.