Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, took several key decisions at its meeting held at the Secretariat here on Friday.
The Cabinet has approved the proposal to launch the second phase of Jagananna Arogya Suraksha from January 1 and enhance free medical treatment limit under YSR Aarogyasri to Rs. 25 lakh and make it applicable to all who have annual income up to Rs. 5 lakh so that 90 per cent of the families would benefit.
The Chief Minister will launch the enhanced beneficial Aarogyasri scheme and distribution of new Aarogyasri cards on December 18. Along with health workers, YSRCP MLAs will also participate in the public awareness campaign on how to use the free medical treatment for 3257 ailments and procedures under Aarogyasri which has been allotted Rs. 4400crore for the year.
The Cabinet also approved the proposal to pay Rs. 300 towards charges for patients who visit hospitals again for re-consultation after undergoing treatment under Arogyasri and make door delivery of WHO standard medicines to all who undergo treatment. People will also be asked to download Aarogyasri App and health teams with the help of secretariat staff.
It has also decided to enhance the monthly social pension from Rs. 2750 to Rs. 3000 from January 1 and distribute Rs.6394crore towards the fourth and last tranche of YSR Asara from Jan 10 to 23 and YSR Cheyuta to the beneficiaries from January 29 to February 10. The hiked pensions would be distributed from January 1 to 8. The Cabinet has approved the DPR of the proposed Visakhapatnam Light Metro Project and decided to begin distribution of 4,35,000 tabs worth Rs. 638crore to students of class 8 from December 21 which coincides with the birthday of the Chief Minister. The tabs will have loaded AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools.
Besides approving the reforms introduced in the granting of caste and income certificates, the Cabinet has also decided to establish Additional District Sessions Court at Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district, enhance DA by 15 percent to police personnel working in anti-Naxal operations and pay DA and DR to working and retired court staff on par with central Government staff.
The Cabinet has decided to appoint cricketer Ambati Rayudu and other sportspersons as brand ambassadors for the sports festival Adudam Andhra for which 1. 14crore registrations have been received so far. The festival will run for 51 days.
The Cabinet has approved the proposal to appoint 293 doctors and other staff in the super specialty blocks of the 300-bed Kadapa Government Hospital and fill 18 posts of head nurses and nursing superintendents in Guntur General Hospital and 95 posts in the new medical colleges at Vizianagaram, Rajamahendravaram, Eluru, Machilipatnam and Nandyala.
It has decided to introduce Nephrology and Neurology Departments in 11 medical colleges and recruit 287 nephrologists, neurologists and other necessary staff besides establishing Oncology departments in Srikakulam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Ongole, Nellore, Tirupati, and Anantapuram medical colleges and recruit 64 doctors and other staff. It has also decided to upgrade the 50-bed hospital at Cheepurupally in Vizianagaram district as 100-bed hospital and allot 11.25acres of land to the Bangalore based TISB international school and allot necessary land to the Tourism department to develop tourism based projects. Condoles MLC’s death in road mishap.
The Cabinet has condoled the death of MLC Shaik Sabjee in a road mishap and observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect.
