Himachal govt's 'Sahara' welfare scheme assisting thousands of poor families in state

New Delhi: Besides health, infrastructure, education and industry, Himachal Pradesh touched a new milestone with its social welfare scheme- 'Sahara', a significant move by the incumbent BJP-ruled state regime to financially assist more than 20,000 indigent people in the scheme.

Chief Minister Jairam Thakur's major initiative supports the people, who are suffering from serious illnesses and dependent on others or suffering from disabilities, either for meeting accidents or for serious disorders.

Under this scheme, Rs. 3,000 is deposited in the bank account of needy people every month. The total expenditure on the scheme is more than 60 crore rupees. The scheme was launched on July 15, 2019.

The state health department is continuously identifying patients who need monthly financial assistance under this scheme. Moreover, the scheme could cure many patients and help thousands of families. In many instances, the earning member of a family suffers from serious illness or meets with an accident, which causes him/her disability, then the scheme helps the family to get an assistance of Rs 3,000 every month.

The 'Sahara' scheme further assists children, who are born disabled. The Jairam government's scheme further helps guardians/ caretakers.

The important scheme is the chef-d'oeuvre of the incumbent Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur.

This is probably the only such scheme running in any state of the country, officials claimed. Thakur said the idea of such a scheme evolved while he was travelling back from a rally and he met a young man, who was lying on a bed.

The person lying on the bed was the victim of the accident and suffered from a severe spinal cord injury in the accident. Moreover, the man met CM to urge help as he was unable to walk and was dependent on his family for food.

Patients, suffering from malnutrition, cancer, blindness, muscular dystrophy, haemophilia, thalassemia, renal failure and permanent disability are also included in the scheme. Earlier, the beneficiaries were given financial assistance of Rs. 2,000 per month under this scheme, which on was increased to Rs. 3,000 per month on August 29, 2020.