Vishakhapatnam: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in state, Visakhapatnam district launched Niramaya Health Insurance scheme for children suffering from autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, and others.
District collector Dr A Mallikharjuna launched the free health insurance scheme here on Saturday. The money for the scheme was arranged from Sanjivani Nidhi, funds for which were donated by government employees on New Year’s Day.
Collector said the objective of Niramaya scheme is to provide affordable health insurance cover to special children. The district has 1,404 children with special needs. The district is implementing the scheme with the help of The Ability People Organisation.
He said the scheme would provide health insurance at a very low price and the insured person would get 1 lakh a year for health-related issues.
“Employees donated around 15 lakh to Sanjivani Nidhi. This would be utilised for the poor people, orphans, and specially abled children. We are spending 1,34,750 towards Niramaya health scheme,” the collector said.
He thanked the employees and said they are planning to pay the premium for Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana scheme for girls who have lost their fathers or mothers.
