Karnataka: Health cards only after biometric verification

MANDYA: A day after TOI reported that middlemen were fleecing beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat—Arogya Karnataka (ABARK) scheme, the Prime Minister’s Office directed the state government to adopt a biometric system to enrol and issue health cards to beneficiaries at their homes.

The government has issued directions to government hospitals and common service centres to enrol and issue smartcards to beneficiaries only after verifying through an Aadhaar-based biometric system.

On Tuesday, TOI had published a story, ‘Middlemen in Mandya fleecing people over Ayushman Bharat cards’. The PMO had on the same day directed the government to send officers to inspect the irregularities in Mandya district .

Mandya district health officer HP Manchegowda said: “The vigilance team had visited Mandya district. The biometric system will be adopted in all the district hospitals, taluk and community health centres and common service centres. The beneficiaries now have to get enrolled and avail health cards by visiting the designated centres,” he said.