Guwahati, Sept. 25: Mizoram fared the best and Nagaland the worst in the Northeast in expanding the benefits of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, the Centre's social security and healthcare assurance scheme.

According to an official data, while Mizoram has extended the benefit of the scheme to 80 per cent of its people, Nagaland has extended it to only 49 per cent. Assam, which has the largest number of BPL families among all the northeastern states, has covered 59.91 per cent of its people under the scheme.

The beneficiaries are entitled to hospitalisation coverage up to Rs 30,000 per annum on family floater basis for most of the diseases that require hospitalisation.

The scheme was launched in early 2008.

From 2015, the Union ministry of health and family welfare has been administering and implementing the scheme through a decentralised implementation structure at the state level.

In every state, the government has set upa state nodal agency that is responsible for implementing, monitoring, supervising and part-financing of the scheme by coordinating with insurance companies, hospitals, district authorities and other local stakeholders.

The beneficiary is any below poverty line (BPL) family, whose information is included in the district BPL list prepared by the state government. The coverage extends to maximum five members of a family which include the head of household, spouse and up to three dependents.

In Assam, the highest number of people have been covered in Nagaon district (181,020) followed by Sonitpur (150,043) and Barpeta (135,134).

With 4,458 people, Dima Hasao district is at the bottom of the list. The government has empanelled 47 private and 141 government hospitals under the scheme.

An official of the state health department told this correspondent that lack of awareness about the scheme as well as benefits of health insurance are the main reasons of low enrolment under the scheme.

'Despite an intensive campaign by the government, many people do not come forward to avail benefits of the health schemes. That is why the enrolment is yet to achieve 100 per cent,' the official said.

According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, only 10.4 per cent population in Assam are covered by a health insurance scheme.

In its earlier survey that took place in 2005-06, the percentage was 2.3.