Shillong: The Meghalaya cabinet on Wednesday approved the implementation of Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) phase-IV, converging with the health protection scheme of the Centre, which was launched under Ayushman Bharat Programme.

After the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Conrad K. Sangma at the main secretariat here, health minister A.L. Hek told reporters that the MHIS phase-IV has been approved and the health coverage is upto Rs 5 lakh per year per household.

Hek said unlike in the earlier phases, the MHIS phase IV implementation would cover all citizens of the state except government employees. The scheme would cover various tests and investigation of sickness too.

The coverage earlier was Rs 2.8 lakh per cardholder (five beneficiaries to a card) per year, but according to deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong, the health cover has now been enhanced to Rs 5 lakh per year per household.

A total of 8.8 lakh families would be covered under this scheme, he said.

The cabinet also approved a proposal of the animal husbandry and veterinary department to stand as guarantor in favour of the East Khasi Hills District Cooperative Milk Union under the Meghalaya milk mission to availing of a loan of Rs 200 crore through the National Cooperative Development Corporation.

Tynsong said the East Khasi Hills District Cooperative Milk Union was set up recently and the union is running the milk processing unit at Mawlai Mawïong here.

The production of processed milk at present is 10,000 litres per day and Tynsong said the government wanted to enhance the production to 50,000 litres per day.

"Some central assistance has come in. We would like to expand these activities by encouraging farmers in their respective villages," Tynsong said.

He said the National Cooperative Development Corporation would give a loan of Rs 200 crore, of which Rs 150 crore is a soft loan, and Rs 50 crore a subsidy.

Tynsong said more unions would be set up in other districts of the state.

The cabinet will also enhance a grant-in-aid to 710 pre-primary school teachers by enhancing their salary from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 per month from August 1 this year.

Tynsong said the government's expenditure would be over Rs 5 crore per year in view of the enhancement.

The cabinet also decided to create the Meghalaya Community Rural Development Services and Meghalaya Rural Engineering Services under the community and rural development department of the state government.