Rodrigues launches RSBY and lays foundation stone of school complex in Chandigarh
Chandigarh: As part of the ambitious plan for strengthening educational and sports infrastructure in the southern sectors, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Gen. (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM, today laid the foundation stone of Government High School Complexes in Sector 50-B, 53-B, 54-A and an Indoor Basket Ball Hall in Sports Complex in Sector 42. The Sector 50-B Government High School Complex is being 
constructed on a plot area of 4.23 acres at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.56 crores, Sector 53-B Government High School Complex covering an area of 3.60 acres at a cost of about Rs. 2.58 crores while the Sector 54-A Government High School Complex covering an area of 4.17 acres at an estimated cost of about Rs. 2.58 crores. All these schools will have Class Rooms and other supportive provisions of ultramodern civic amenities. Similarly, the Indoor Basket Ball hall sports complex in Sector 42 which is being constructed at a cost of about Rs. 1.87 crores will be equipped with modern facilities for arranging different events and the accommodation will have basketball courts, dormitory for boys and girls and other requisite facilities.
Accompanied by Mrs. Jean Rodrigues, the Administrator went around the area of the school projects and asked the residents to join in a partnership in these projects and take the responsibility to look after the infrastructure in a spirit of ‘ownership’. He asked the Chief Architect and Chief Engineer to make the building plans disabled friendly and to landscape the whole area.
During interaction at the launching of Indoor Basket Ball Hall Sports Complex, General Rodrigues asked the Chief Architect and senior officers of the sports department to further upgrade the project with provision of a sports medicines complex and make it a focal point for different sports activities. He asked Mr. Rajinder Singh Olympian, Girl’s Hockey Coach to prepare a comprehensive programme for reviving hockey, with the focus on nurturing the talent at school and college level.
The Administrator also launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana in Colony NO. 5 with a view to provide health insurance cover to workers in the unorganized sectors. It may be recalled that an MoU has been signed between the senior officers of the Administration and Ministry of Labour and Employment Government of India in the presence of representatives of National Insurance Company on 28th January, 2009.
Speaking on the occasion, General Rodrigues asked the officers of Chandigarh Administration, NGOs and the functionaries of National Insurance Company to implement the scheme effectively and ensure its benefits to the workers who play a significant role for the growth and development of the City. He also impressed upon the workers the need to take advantage of this ambitious programme which envisages the issuance of smart card at a cost of Rs. 30 with health insurance cover of Rs. 30,000 per family per annum in Government Hospitals and also some privately managed medical care institutions.
Mr. Ram Niwas, Home Secretary, UT, while giving details of the scheme said that under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, the Health Insurance cover will be provided to the workers of Below Poverty Line. This is a cashless Health Scheme as the beneficiaries would be issued smart card on the basis of which, they can avail medical treatment at designated Hospitals worth Rs. 30,000 in a year. The scheme could be availed by the beneficiaries all over the country. There is a provision in the scheme for reasonable pre and post hospitalization expenses for one day prior and five days after hospitalization, but subject to a maximum share of the total cost of hospitalization. There is provision for transport allowance to the insured person as per the scheme and rules. Mr. Amandeep Singh, who represented National Insurance Company, highlighted the features of the scheme.
