Odisha Budget 2024: BSKY Renamed as Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana, ₹5,450 Crore Allocated

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi revealed that the BJP-led Odisha government has renamed the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) to the Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana. This change was disclosed during the presentation of the annual Budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year in the Odisha Assembly.

The Chief Minister stated that both the state-funded Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana and the central Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) will be rolled out simultaneously, offering cashless medical treatment to residents. The BJP government has allocated ₹5,450 crore for the Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana and ₹500 crore for its share of the PM-JAY scheme.

Odisha residents will now have access to cashless treatment at approximately 27,000 empanelled hospitals across the state and beyond. The Centre will fund about 60% of the PM-JAY scheme’s costs, reducing the financial burden on the state government.

Previously, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana provided up to ₹5 lakh in cashless treatment for the underprivileged. Unlike its predecessor, the BJD government did not implement the PM-JAY scheme. The BJP had pledged in its 2024 election manifesto to introduce PM-JAY if elected.