36L families to benefit from med aid scheme

Mumbai: Nearly 36 lakh families in the city won't have to worry about their medical expenses from Monday, when the state's project, the Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana (RGJAY), will be kicked off for Mumbaikars with an annual income less than Rs 1 lakh.      Under the scheme, the state will bear medical expenditure up to Rs 1.5 lakh (Rs 2.5 lakh in case of kidney transplants) for families holding above and below poverty line ration cards.      The scheme covers expenses incurred on 972 medical procedures, like cardiac and cancer related surgeries, and will be implemented in Amravati,Gadchiroli, Solapur, Nanded, Dhule and Raigad districts apart from Mumbai. In December 2011, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had launched the scheme in Mumbai by distributing RGJAY cards.      "Within three months, this scheme will be launched in the rest of Maharashtra as well," public health minister Suresh Shetty said.