‘Sharad Shatam Yojana’ for senior citizens; Task Force report submitted.
Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde‘s directive to immediately prepare a proposal for submission to the Cabinet.
MUMBAI: The state government has received the report of the task force appointed by the state government’s Department of Social Justice and Special Assistance for the health check-up of the proposed ‘Sharad Shatam’ health scheme for free health check-ups for senior citizens under the concept of Minister Dhananjay Munde. Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde has directed the department to immediately prepare a proposal for Cabinet approval for the scheme.
As per the directions of Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde, health check-ups, surveys of senior citizens, coordination of various schemes in case of diagnosis of diseases should be included in the Sharad Shatam Yojana. A committee was formed consisting of representatives of some reputed charitable organizations working for senior citizens.
The committee submitted its report to the Department of Social Justice today. Accordingly, the department has been directed to prepare a proposal for this scheme immediately for the approval of the Cabinet. We take senior citizens to the hospital only when they are diagnosed with some ailment, most of the time the ailment is already in the body, so if all kinds of health check-ups are done at least once in a year then minor and major ailments can be diagnosed and treated in time. Minister Munde said that the basic idea of this scheme is to make these tests completely free and also to diagnose some ailments at the lowest possible cost by availing the benefits of various schemes of the government.
Maharashtra will be the first state to implement such a scheme, which will benefit millions of poor, destitute as well as senior citizens from middle-class families in the state. The scheme has been welcomed by many social organizations working for senior citizens. Minister Munde said that the government is trying to implement this scheme by approving it in December.