Kannada organisations in Belagavi have opposed Maharashtra government’s plans to provide health insurance to Marathi speakers in Belagavi and other border districts. They have urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to ask Maharashtra to stop it.
They say this is against the spirit of federalism, and would amount to insulting the government of Karnataka. Activists also suspect that the scheme is a clandestine attempt to collect the data of Marathi speakers in Karnataka.
The letter by Kannada organisations follows an announcement by Dhairyasheel Mane, MP and member of the Maharashtra State high-level committee on monitoring the border issue, that the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana would be extended to Marathi speakers in 865 villages in 12 tehsils of Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Bidar and Kalaburagi districts.
Mr. Mane has also assured a delegation of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti leaders that the Belagavi-based party would be given the authority to identify Marathi speaking beneficiaries.
Kannada organisations have opposed this move strongly. Ashok Chandaragi, convener of Kannada organisations in Belagavi, said: “It is a dangerous move. It will negatively impact the federal character of the country. Our contention is that this move would be an affront to the elected government in Karnataka. It will show that Karnataka government is unable to take care of its people.”
Deepak Gudaganatti, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leader, asked the Maharashtra government to “stop meddling with the affairs of Karnataka”.
“If the Maharashtra leaders are so concerned about welfare of the people, then they should focus on providing drinking water to people in the arid regions of western Maharashtra. They should properly implement welfare and development schemes in Vidharbha region and stop the mass migration of poor families from that region to Karnataka and other southern States,” he said.
Details of the scheme
Beneficiaries of the scheme are provided coverage of up to ₹1.5 lakh for 996 surgeries and treatment procedures, available in 34 hospitals in Maharashtra.
The applicants need to show a proof of identity such as Antyodaya Anna BPL ration card, the Maharashtra government’s Annapoorna ration card or a certificate of annual income issued by revenue authorities.
Those who are not residents of Maharashtra can also claim the benefits by producing a certificate of self-declaration that they are Marathi speakers. The application form of the health scheme contains a format for the declaration certificate. The applicant has to show that he is a resident of one of the 865 villages and that his family speaks Marathi.
In March, the Maharashtra government had announced that the form had to be self-attested. But now, Mr. Mane has said that the MES office-bearers would be authorised to issue the declaration certificates.
Mr. Gudaganatti said that the Maharashtra government will clandestinely collect the data of Marathi speakers in Belagavi, in the guise of providing them health benefits. “Maharashtra will quietly submit the data before the Supreme Court to support its claim over border areas, saying all Marathi speaking areas should be merged with Maharashtra,” he said.
