State level consultation on insurance scheme for BPL

A State level consultation on Rashtriya Swasthaya Bima Yojana(RSBY) - a Central Government Scheme of Health insurance for BPL families in the unorganized sector , will be held for the state of Assam on 25th October, 2008 in IIBM, Khanapara. The consultation has been organized by Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS), North East Social Security Network in association with Self-Employed Women's Organization, Ahmedabad.

RSBY has been launched by the Central Government on 1st of October 2007 and has been implemented in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat. In Assam, the scheme will be implemented under NRHM but the process is yet to start. In 2007, Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) in collaboration with Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad initiated a process to design a micro insurance programme in Northeast and also to build up the capacity of local organizations on Micro insurance. Thus, a network namely North East Social Security Network (NESSN) was formed with nine organizations to carry forward the process in Northeast. The State consultation is a part of this process.

The consultation aims at understanding detail about RSBY, understanding the implementation plan of the scheme at the state level and to discuss about the role of NGOs for its proper implementation.

The consultation will be attended by State Government' officials, NGOs, Social Organizations, Development and Research Institutes, academicians and media persons.