Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government Combined Employees’ Association has expressed disappointment over the exclusion of government employees from the state’s Cashless Health Card scheme. The scheme, integrating the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana with Odisha’s Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, provides ₹5 lakh health coverage per family annually, with an additional ₹5 lakh for women. However, state employees remain ineligible, causing widespread discontent.

Covering around 3.5 lakh beneficiaries, the scheme offers treatment in nearly 29,000 hospitals nationwide. Despite its broad reach, government employees continue to be left out.

In a press conference, association convenor Bijay Malla urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, and other officials to extend the scheme to state employees, stressing that this has been a long-standing demand.

Leaders from various departments, including Bijay Malla, Prabhat Mohanty, Aswini Das, Pradeep Pradhan, and others, joined the appeal. The association warned that if their demand is not met, they will resort to a ‘Mass Dharana’ (large-scale protest) to push for their inclusion in the scheme.