Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced the state government’s decision to bring all residents of Bengal under the fold of Swasthya Sathi, a cashless health insurance scheme launched by the state government in December 2016.

“Already 7.5 crore people have either been enrolled in the scheme or are under process for inclusion. We have decided to bring another 2.5 crore people under the scheme. With this, all people in the state will be covered under the scheme,” said the chief minister at Nabanna on Thursday.

The decision will be applicable from December 1, 2020.

For this, the state government will have to shoulder an extra Rs 2,000 crore annually. So far, the state government had to spend nearly Rs 4,000 crore annually on the health scheme that gives each family insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh a year.

The chief minister said those yet to be included under the scheme can apply from December 1 when government officials visit from door to door to know about people’s grievances under the “Duare Duare Sarkar (government at each doorstep)” programme.

Mamata compared her government’s scheme with the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat and explained why Bengal did not implement the latter.

“We shoulder the entire cost in our scheme. In the Centre's scheme, the Centre gives only 60 per cent cost (of the premium). Who will give the remaining part? The beneficiary?” she asked.

The scheme has around 1,500 empanelled hospitals including AIIMS, Delhi and CMC, Vellore, said sources.

The chief minister said that under the scheme, a smart card would be issued in the name of the woman who heads the family and details of all family members would be inserted in the card. Only those enrolled in any other government health scheme can’t be enrolled under this scheme.

“The card is being issued in the name of the woman who heads the family as a part of the state government’s initiative of empowerment of women. Details of all other members would be inserted in the card and all family members can avail the benefits of the card,” said the chief minister.

A senior government official said that the scheme was already very popular among the masses in the state.

“About 70 lakh people have secured benefit of the scheme since it was introduced. It is expected that more people would utilise the benefit of the card in coming days,” said the official.

Trinamul insiders said that the initiative could be considered a masterstroke by the chief minister ahead of polls.

“It will help us counter the BJP’s campaign that the state did not join the central scheme (Ayushman Bharat) which left people of the state in trouble,” a Trinamul MLA said. “(We can tell people) we have a better scheme for the people of the state.”