Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The State government has decided to cover 92.5 lakh families under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) that provides annual health coverage of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 10 lakh for women members) per family from September 1.
According to the reports, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will launch it on August 15 while the cards will be distributed in Malkangiri, Balangir, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Gajapati districts in the first phase. Additional 20.8 lakh families will be covered under the health assurance scheme apart from the existing 71.69 lakh families.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra informed that the criteria for inclusion in the scheme have been revised. All families covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and SFSA will be provided with the BSKY smart health card and they can use the ration cards to avail benefits from September 1 till the BSKY card is distributed. The old eligibility documents like BKKY, AAY or BPL card and low-income certificate will no longer be valid for availing benefits under BSKY.
