SAMBALPUR: Odisha government has created a fund of Rs 147 crore for treatment of accident victims, informed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while launching the distribution of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart health cards at Kuchinda here on Tuesday.
Expressing concern over the rising number of deaths due to road accident, Naveen said many valuable lives can be saved if victims are provided timely treatment. "The first 48 hours are crucial for victims. All medical expenses of an accident victim during the first 48 hours will be provided from this fund," he said.
Regarding BSKY, the CM said that around 3.5 crore people of 96 lakh families of the State will be benefited from the smart health cards. In Sambalpur district, around 7.73 lakh people will benefit from the health card.
"To meet the medical expenses, many people sell their land, gold and some even discontinue the education of their children. I feel disheartened to hear such news. The health card will remove the burden of treatment costs on people as the government will bear the medical expenses," he said.
Naveen further said Sambalpur has played an important role in enriching many fields including culture, politics, education, history and economy of the State. Sambalpuri saree and songs are the identity of the great culture of Odisha, he said and urged people to extend their cooperation for development of Samaleswari Pitha in Sambalpur.
On the occasion, the CM also inaugurated and laid foundation stones of various projects worth Rs 1,553 crore. The projects which were inaugurated are worth Rs 350 crore. Naveen said drinking water will be supplied to all households in Sambalpur by 2022. Among others, Ministers Naba Kishore Das and Susant Singh besides Deputy Chief Whip Rohit Pujari were present.