The West Bengal government has selected National Insurance Co Ltd, the Kolkata-based insurer, to roll out the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana in four districts.
The plan, aimed at families below the poverty line (BPL), will be rolled out in Burdwan, East Midnapore, Malda and North 24 Parganas over the next two months, according to Nurul Haque, principal secretary to the labour department.
The public sector NIC has been chosen as it quoted the lowest figure, Haque said. The Centre and the state will share the premium in a 75-25 ratio.
A BPL family paying a minimum premium of Rs 500 a year would get cashless hospitalisation benefits of up to Rs 30,000, Haque said on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce.
The Employees State Insurance Corp will implement the rollout.
When contacted, V Ramasaamy, chairman and managing director of NIC, told FE that smart cards will be distributed to the BPL families.
The government authenticated cards, loaded with all relevant details, have to be produced at a hospital for claiming benefits. However, users are entitled to treatment only at the government hospitals.