Punjab Government has decided to bring nearly 8.5 lakh farmers and their families under the ambit of the health insurance cover in line with the ‘Ayushman Bharat Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana’ for the year 2021-22. Besides, all the farmers having ‘J’ forms and ‘Sugarcane Weighment Slips’ would be eligible for the health scheme.

To facilitate the farmers to apply for this scheme in the easiest way, the Mandi Board has launched a dedicated portal for the first time from this year. Now, the farmers need not to visit the market committee office to apply manually as was the case earlier.

The interested farmers can simply apply on Mandi Board’s portal https://emandikaran-pb.in with uploading related documents.

Punjab Mandi Board chairman Lal Singh said that the Board would pay the entire premium for the insurance cover of all the farmers, who will get cashless treatment facility up to Rs five lakh per annum. He added that all these farmers and their families will now be covered with effect from August 20, 2021.

He also informed that the number of farmers covered under Health Insurance Scheme during the last year of the scheme stood at around 5.01 lakh based on ‘J’ forms and ‘Sugarcane Weighment Slips’. Now, the number of farmers has reached nearly 8.5 lakh with 7.91 lakh farmers having ‘J’ forms registered with the Mandi Board and 55,000 cane growers.

Pointing out further, Lal Singh also said that these 5.01 lakh farmers, who have already been registered under Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojna during last year, need not to re-apply on portal as they will be extended the benefit for next year based on earlier documents but remaining nearly 3.5 lakh farmers registered as ‘J’ form holders and ‘Sugarcane Weighment Slips’ after October 1, 2020, would have to apply on portal for availing Health Insurance. 

The Market Committees have also been directed to facilitate every farmer, in case he needs any help to avail this cashless treatment facility in a seamless manner, added Lal Singh.

Meanwhile, Mandi Board secretary Ravi Bhagat informed that the eligible farmers can apply online on portal to avail the health facilities from empanelled hospitals from August 20 this year.

He further said that apart from the family head, husband or wife, father or mother, unmarried children, divorced daughter and her minor children, widowed daughter-in-law and her minor children would be considered eligible to derive benefit under the scheme. Any further information can be sought from the toll free no. 104 or visit Mandi Board’s website www.mandiboard.nic.in.

These farmers can approach any of the 642 empanelled private hospitals and 208 government hospitals for treatment facility of up to Rs five lakh for 1,579 diseases, including major surgical treatments such as heart surgery, cancer treatment, joint replacement and accident cases under the health insurance scheme.