Ladakh LG for heating facilities at health centres before winter
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur on Sunday directed officials to install central heating facilities at all health centres before the onset of winter and cover all residents under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and Universal Health Insurance schemes.
Chairing a meeting of the State Health Society of Ladakh’s governing body, Mathur also instructed the officials to extend social security cover and welfare schemes, including Atal Pension Yojana, to workers of the National Health Mission (NHM) as well as ASHA.
“Central heating systems at all the health centres may be made fully functional before the onset of the winter,” Mathur said.
He directed the officials concerned to ensure that all residents of Ladakh are covered under PMJAY and Universal Health Insurance schemes so that the people could avail of benefits such as insurance coverage and reimbursement in case a patient is referred to any empaneled hospital outside the Union territory.
Further, he suggested that blood banks at community health centres in Khaltsi, Diskit, Padum and Drass are established and trauma centres at these CHCs are made fully functional in the current financial year.
Ladakh NHM Director Iftikhar Ahmad Chowdhary said the Centre has sanctioned a budget of Rs.184.4 crore under the mission for the financial year 2022-23.
He also briefed the meeting about extending social security benefits and welfare funds to its over 1,200 employees under the Records of Proceedings.
Further, he submitted a proposal to provide ex-gratia to the next of kin in case of death of an NHM employee while on duty and Rs.5 lakh in case of more than 50 per cent disability due to an accident; ex-gratia of Rs.5 lakh for the family of an ASHA worker in case of death and Rs.2 lakh in case of more than 50 per cent disability due to an accident.
Meanwhile, Ladakh Lt Governor R K Mathur on Sunday visited Pangong and Nubra Sub-division and met several delegations which raised various demands like issuance of notification to make Siachen base camp functional for tourists and installation of mobile towers to improve network and internet connectivity.
The delegations also raised the demand for a legalisation of land allocated to the villagers along the Pangong Lake for commercial purposes, an official spokesman said.
On May 5, 2020, the eastern Ladakh border standoff had erupted following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.
At Nubra, the spokesman said Panamik Councillor TseringSandup raised several issues related to the development of his constituency including issuance of notification to make Siachen base camp functional for the tourists, rationalization of boundaries and the realignment of wildlife protected areas in the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary along with the provision of providing facilities such as road connectivity and telecommunication network.
He also highlighted the need for strengthening, upgrading and opening of new Health Centres, improvement in telecommunication network in the Siachen belt, opening of trekking route between Sasoma and Shayok to improve tourist activities, relaxation in age for recruitment of local labourers in GREF, enhancement of wages for porters working at Siachen Glacier.
