Maha govt plans to set up 'health war room' to integrate schemes

Mumbai, Oct 17 (IANS) The Maharashtra government has decided to set up a special war room to integrate all health-related schemes launched by the central and state governments.

This aims to avoid the double benefits of those schemes. It will be headed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA). The war room will look exclusively into the health-related issues.

The 12-member committee under the MITRA CEO will have administrative heads of the Public Health, Medical Education, Social Justice, Women and Child Welfare, Law and Judiciary, Labour, Tribal Development, Minority development, and Divyang welfare departments.

Along with them Chief Minister Relief Fund cell head and assistant director will be members of the committee.

The state government sources said that within the Public Health department, the Chief Minister had directed to setting up of a dedicated war room for health-related issues.

“There are multiple health welfare schemes launched by the central and state governments. There have been instances where benefits under both schemes were availed by individuals, which is not permissible. Therefore, the plan is to streamline these schemes by integrating them,” an official from the Public Health department said.

Along with this toll-free number, 18001232211 will be a common number for all aid required for health-related issues.

The state already has a war room for the monitoring of ongoing infrastructure projects, industrial projects and ongoing social sector schemes.

The MITRA CEO, former IAS officer Praveen Pardeshi, has already been appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Pardeshi is also the co-chair of the governing committee, which is the apex body responsible for the Maharashtra data policy. He will now oversee health-related schemes as well.

MITRA was established on the lines of NITI Aayog during the chief minister Eknath Shinde-led government to achieve rapid and comprehensive development of the state through the participation of the private sector and non-government organisations, taking into account the needs of the state.

--IANS

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