Bhagalpur, Sept. 18: Naxalites, who have shown keen interest in rural welfare projects in the districts of eastern Bihar, have blocked the progress of an ambitious health project in Lakhisarai district.

The district administration was forced to stop the National Health Insurance Project (NHIP) in a number of villages after the rebels abducted five employees of Financial Information Network and Operations Limited (Fino) from the Maoist-hit Tali Kodasi village under Piri Bazaar police station.

The kidnapped employees were released after two hours with a warning “do not return”. The incident occurred on September 13.

ICICI Lombard, the agency authorised to implement NHIP in the state, has appointed Fino to implement the project in Lakhisarai district. Under the project, every below poverty line (BPL) family would be issued a smart card. Four members of these families would be able to enjoy free healthcare for up to Rs 30,000.

A source said five workers of Fino — Sourav Kumar, Dipak Kumar, Amit Kumar, Vishal Pandey and Ramkumar Singh — went to the village to spread awareness about NHIP, when members of the banned outfit abducted them.

The rebels also detained Uday Kumar, the driver of their car. The Fino team had gone to the village to conduct a survey to prepare smart cards.

The workers were, however, set free after being detained for two hours in a forest near the village. They were warned by the rebels not to venture into the district again.

Sanjeev Roy, the Lakhisarai in-charge of ICICI Lombard NHIP project, called H.N. Jha, the district magistrate, on September 15 and reported the incident to him.

As a result, Jha has decided to withdraw the implementation of the project from the Naxalite-affected areas of the district for the time being. He said the project would be revived after the district administration was satisfied with the security measures.

Social activists in the district have slammed the rebels for blocking the health project. “Poverty-ravaged Lakhisarai needs proper healthcare facilities, especially in the rural areas. NHIP would certainly help the poor people in the district. The Maoists should not oppose such initiatives,” Narendar, a social worker said.

On August 29, last year, four policemen — Rupesh Sinha, Abhay Yadav, Ehtesham Khan and Lucas Tete — were abducted by the rebels from the Kajra forests in the district.

Seven policemen were also killed in the botched operation to trap Maoist guerrillas.