In this interview on camera, former IAS officer Anil Swarup traverses later part of his 38-years long career to describe situations in which he was asked to conceptualise and launch the first-ever health insurance scheme launched by a government in India. He narrates how did he start from a blank to realise Rashtriya Swsthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) a scheme that not only helped the poor get top-class medical services from private sector as well, in time that too with almost zero expenditure, but also earned the country international acclaim.
The scheme was completely paperless, cashless and fully portable. A BPL person from one state could avail best medical facilities in any other part of the country through a smart card using a 64-kb chip. India in 2007 didn’t have robust internet facilities like today and hence RSBY was a boon for the poor. The scheme also became the basis of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, launched by Modi government.
Please watch the interview for more details….
In this interview Mr Swarup also describes how despite being School Education Secretary in Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi availed of his advice and services for the scheme launched by the Health Ministry.
Mr Swarup has written three books – Not Just A Civil Servant, No More A Civil Servant and Ethical Dilemmas of A Civil Servant and his fourth book ‘Encounters with Politicians’ is expected to be released soon.
