K'taka cabinet clears Premises Regulation Bill, Sandhya Kiran healthcare scheme
Bengaluru, Aug 13
The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved the Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026, aimed at regulating the use of government premises and public property by private individuals, organisations, associations, societies and other entities.
Speaking about the Cabinet decision, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the proposed legislation would provide a legal framework to safeguard and preserve government property and ensure its responsible utilisation for public benefit.
The Bill seeks to regulate the use of government lands, buildings, playgrounds, parks, roads and other public assets, while preventing their misuse. Kharge dismissed speculation that the legislation was intended to target any particular institution, association, organisation, society, club, union, syndicate or NGO. "Why is everyone thinking this is to curtail or curb any particular institution, association, organisation, society, club, union, syndicate or NGO? Beats me," he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved the launch of the "Sandhya Kiran" contributory cashless healthcare scheme for State Government pensioners below 70 years of age, family pensioners and their eligible dependent family members.
The scheme has been formulated under the Ayushman Bharat‑Arogya Karnataka (AB‑ArK) framework. It will initially cover around 3.11 lakh State Government pensioners and their eligible dependents, taking the total number of beneficiaries to approximately 4.93 lakh.
Under the scheme, eligible families will be entitled to cashless secondary, tertiary and emergency medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh per year on a family floater basis. Beneficiaries can avail themselves of treatment at hospitals empanelled under the scheme, with AB‑ArK benefit packages and revised package rates applicable.
Service pensioners will contribute 1.25 per cent of their basic pension, while family pensioners will contribute 0.75 per cent of their basic family pension.
The scheme is expected to generate around Rs 117 crore annually through premium contributions, while the estimated annual treatment expenditure is Rs 81.75 crore. Of the treatment cost, 70 per cent will be borne through the beneficiaries' share and 30 per cent by the State Government. This translates to an estimated annual contribution of Rs 57.22 crore from beneficiaries and Rs 24.53 crore from the government.
To maintain the scheme's financial sustainability, the premium rate may be automatically increased by 0.05 percentage points if corpus utilisation exceeds 85 per cent.
The scheme will be implemented through the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), which will coordinate beneficiary registration, premium collection, hospital administration, cashless treatment and claim management through the AB‑ArK system.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative by the Karnataka government to regulate government premises. Too many private parties have encroached on public parks and playgrounds in Bengaluru. Hope this Bill actually gets implemented strictly and doesn't remain just on paper like many other laws.
Sandhya Kiran scheme looks promising but I have concerns about the premium auto-increase clause. If corpus utilisation exceeds 85%, pensioners will have to pay more. Inflation in healthcare costs is high, so this could become a burden for senior citizens who already live on fixed pensions.
As a Bengaluru resident, I welcome the Premises Regulation Bill. Our lakes and parks are being taken over by commercial interests. However, the government should also ensure that genuine social service organisations and local clubs aren't harassed by this new law. Balance is key!
The healthcare scheme is a step in the right direction. But why are serving government employees not covered? They pay taxes too and struggle with healthcare costs. Also, will private hospital charges be capped? In Bengaluru's private hospitals, Rs 5 lakh doesn't go far for serious treatments.
Happy to see the government thinking about pensioners' welfare. My mother is a family pensioner and this 0.75% contribution for her is quite manageable. The cashless feature through AB-ArK network is excellent. Well done, Karnataka government! 👍
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