While the government sets about bringing in schemes for the welfare of the people, the bureaucracy seems equally determined to deny any success accrued towards the schemes.
Take the case of Yashaswini, the scheme that was launched with a view to help the poor and the farming community get good healthcare facilities at nominal costs.
Faulty reasoning
In Kolar, a woman official is ensuring that the scheme, very popular in the cooperation sector in a short time is not implemented in toto, by striking off even those hospitals that provided quality service, citing trivial objections.
As a result, several hospitals in the city are no longer rendering healthcare under this system. And the victims are mainly the farmers who have nowhere else to go.
Around two lakh people have registered for the Yashaswini scheme in the district. A target of five lakh members was proposed.
Surprise visit
 While cooperation leaders mulled the idea, the official who is responsible for the scheme’s implementation, conducted a ‘surprise visit’ and cancelled several hospitals from the list.
Yashaswini was popular among the farmers and poor while the dairying farmers found the scheme highly useful. By paying an annual premium of Rs 120, a member could avail of medical benefits for the whole year. To facilitate the smooth functioning of the scheme, the cooperative societies and Komul paid half the amount of each member.
Two-way folly
At the same time, it cannot be denied that a few private hospitals took advantage of the loopholes in the scheme. But it was equally the responsibility of the department to take action against them. But leaving a good hospital out of the list, such as the R L Jalappa Hospital on mere technical grounds, is being seen as a move to deprive farmers of good healthcare.
The public is also complaining that with a view to link the beneficiaries with the hi-tech hospitals in Bangalore, a few officials are forwarding flimsy reasons for having left out several good city hospitals.
Left out
Apart from R L Jalappa Hospital, even ETCM Hospital is kept out of the Yashaswini loop, when there have been several instances of providing free treatment to the public in the former hospital.
But the hospital has been struck off simply because the woman official has not kept a record of patients, which is highly unfortunate.
It is high time the Deputy Superintendent of the Cooperation department took note of the goings on and ensured that real beneficiaries were not deprived of quality medical healthcare.