Union Budget 2018: Glad Centre emulated Goa's medical insurance scheme, says CM Manohar Parrikar

Panaji: Describing Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley`s Budget as non-populist, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said that he was glad that the state government`s universal health insurance scheme had been emulated by the Centre.

"I am also happy that Goa`s DDSSY (Deen Dayal Swasth Seva Yojana) scheme is also taken up by the central government," Parrikar told the media.

The recently launched DDSSY scheme is a universal health scheme for people in Goa with a five-year domicile that provides medical cover of up to Rs four lakh for a family of four.

In his Budget speech in Parliament on Thursday, Jaitley announced the creation of the National Health Protection Scheme, which aims at providing medical insurance to over 10 crore Indian families.

"It is a good budget taking care of everyone. (It addressed) everything including fiscal deficit, so it is not a populist budget, but a budget which will become popular," Parrikar also said, adding that the reduction in import duty on cashewnuts would directly benefit Goa.