It was decided in the cabinet meeting presided by the Prime Minister Manmohan singh here.
The scheme, which envisages smart card-based cashless health insurance cover of up to 30,000 rupees under any empanelled hospital anywhere in the country.
Briefing newsmen Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said, the RSBY would be extended to those domestic workers who are registered and are between 18-59 years of age, adding that majority of them are women. Mrs. Soni said the funds for extending the RSBY, which would also provide maternity benefits, would be allocated from the National Social Security Fund for unorganised workers.
Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said the beneficiaries would have to get identification certificates from any two of the four institutions — the employer, residents welfare associations, registered trade unions or the police. While the Centre would be bearing 75 per cent of the entire cost, the states would have to incur the remaining amount. For the Northeastern states, the ratio would be 90 per cent for the Centre and ten per cent for states .The minister said ten per cent of domestic workers would be covered in the first year.
The Cabinet on Thursday approved a Law Ministry proposal to operationalise a mission mode programme for developing infrastructure and bringing accountability to reduce pendency and dispose of an estimated 2.5 crore cases lying in the courts.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters, for the Northeast region, the Centre will bear 90 per cent of the expenses. So far, the Centre used to share 50 per cent of the grants.The Centre will bear an estimated expenditure of 5,510 crore rupees for the next five years to achieve the objective by 2016.
The move is part of the ‘vision statement’ adopted by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Ministers in October 2009. While the programme was operationalised on Thursday, it had received in-principle approval of the Union Cabinet in December, 2009.
The government on Thursday also approved a 919.76 crore rupee highways project in Madhya Pradesh under National Highways Development Project. The total length of the project is 80.825 km.The project when completed will reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic plying between Jabalpur and Lakhanadone.