With an aim to save lives, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced the creation of a fund of Rs 147 crore for bearing the cost of immediate treatment of the people injured in road accidents.
Expressing concern over the deaths due to road accidents in the state, the Chief Minister at the distribution ceremony of smart health cards, under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, said, "If immediate medical care is provided, many precious lives could be saved. The state government has, therefore, created a fund of Rs 147 crore for immediate treatment of the injured."
Patnaik, further said that the fund has been created because providing medical treatment in the first 48 hours of the accident is essential for saving lives.
Here, the Chief Minister distributed smart health cards to as many as 7.73 lakh beneficiaries in the district. A total of 3.5 crore people from 96 lakh households in the state would benefit from these cards, Patnaik said.
"This will help financially to poor people for the treatment of many health problems," he added.
"Every life is precious to us; be it a farmer or a daily wage labourer or a rickshaw puller- let everyone live with dignity. It's the goal of various welfare programs of the state government," Patnaik further added.
Odisha is the only state where the government bear all the expenses from testing to treatment for all patients during the COVID pandemic, claimed Patnaik.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated various projects worth more than Rs 1,553 crore in Sambalpur.
He said that the state government is focusing on drinking water and is sanctioning Rs 1,000 crore for drinking water in Sambalpur.
While addressing the gathering, Patnaik highlighted Sambalpur's contribution to the development of Odisha and said that the district has an important role to play in the culture, politics, education, history and economy of the state.
"Sambalpuri sari, Sambalpuri song is an identity of the great culture of Odisha," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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