SIKKIM STATE ILLNESS ASSISTANCE FUND
In the Golden Jubilee year of Indian Independence, a land mark scheme has been launched by the Government of India in which it has seen that the population living below Poverty line in India are provided with necessary assistance to receive Medical Treatment for certain life threatening diseases, treatment for which is normally very expensive in super specialty hospitals, the scheme has been named National Illness Assistance Fund (NIAF) renamed as RAN (Rastriya Arogya Nidhi) on 2002.
Accordingly, Sikkim State Illness Assistant Fund (SSIAF) was set up in the year 1998 which was registered as a body by the Land Revenue Department, Government of Sikkim vide Memo No. 1046 on 17th Oct. 1998.
The contribution of its fund by Central Government would be to the extent of 50% of the contribution made in the form of grant by the State Government in a year.
Subsequently, the rules called the Sikkim State Illness Assistance Fund Rules, 2002 to govern the functionary of the fund was notified on 22nd Nov. 2002 wherein the condition for granting financial assistance were laid down. The notification constituting the fund was issued on 14th July 1999 headed by Secretary Health as Chairman.
During 2000 the SSIAF got 75.00 lakh funds (50 lakh state & 25 Lakh from the Central Government). This fund remain unutilized till Jan. 2005 as there was no BPL categorization done in the State and the Department had been waiting for such list from the Government, so that only the genuine people gets the benefit.
As there were no genuine BPL list, it was decided to disburse the fund on the basis BPL Ration Card issued by the Food & Civil Supply Department or in the absence of which an Income Certificate issued by the revenue official of the concern district / SDM. But since November 2009 Department of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Govt. of Sikkim has issued a list of BPL, accordingly the same is used as one of the criteria’s.
On the basis of the above criteria the disbursement of the fund began in Jan. 2005. During financial year 2015-16 total number of patient benefited & referred is 126.