Karnataka bristles as Maharashtra rolls out health insurance in border towns

The Maharashtra-Karnataka border row has flared up again after the Maharashtra government rolled out a health insurance scheme for Marathis living in the border regions of Karnataka, igniting furious reactions in the southern state.

In an action that Kannada activists said violates the country’s federal spirit, the Maharashtra government has quietly started enforcing a healthcare system for Marathi-speaking people in 865 villages near the Karnataka border. However, the Belagavi district administration on January 13 retaliated by pulling the shutters down on the four service centers linked to the Maharashtra government's health insurance scheme.

The Maharashtra government had opened four service centres in Belgavi to issue application forms with a tagline, "I am Marathi speaking person", along with approval letter from the Maharashtra CM's help desk and letters from the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) certifying the applicant is Maharashtrian to enable them to avail of this health insurance scheme at hospitals.

According to members of the district Kannada organisations such as the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Kannada Sene and Karunada Vijaya Sense, these service centers are 'unauthorised'.

The organisations filed a complaint with the district authorities about these 'unauthorized' service centers set up without any notice to the Karnataka government and district administration. Based on this complaint, four service centers were raided and locked yesterday. District health and family welfare officer Dr Mahesh Kone said the centres were also served a notice for setting them up without any permissions.

Health insurance scheme roll-out

The Maharashtra's health insurance scheme called 'Mahatma Fule Aayogya Yojana' was first announced in March 2023, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime was ruling Karnataka. The BJP, however, opposed the scheme and now, the state’s present Congress government too is against it. Recently, Maharashtra MP Dhairyashil Mane called for a health insurance scheme for Marathi speakers in Belgavi, Karwar, Nippani, Bidar and Bhalki districts, adding that these places should join Maharashtra.

Karnataka officials said this development came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde finally sanctioned a health relief fund for Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka. Accordingly, five service centres were set up accepting applications in places like Belagavi, with recommendation letters from the MES which seeks to merge parts of Karnataka with Maharashtra.

A January 4 Maharashtra government circular said the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule health scheme is applicable to Marathi people in villages in Belagavi, Bidar and Uttara Kannada districts in Karnataka.

According to the scheme, Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka can seek financial assistance for healthcare from service centres and get treated in Maharashtra, including districts such as Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Dharashiv and Latur.

Reports said that Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka had begun enrolling in the scheme. Some 100 persons have registered themselves, and 12 patients had sought reimbursement from the service centres.

The health scheme offers cashless treatment for beneficiaries, post-treatment reimbursement and also facilitates treatment and surgeries in around 1,000 hospitals, including 140 in Karnataka.

Karnataka reaction

“This must be condemned and dealt with,” political commentator C Rudrappa told The Federal. Though the Karnataka government has not commented on the development, Belagavi deputy commissioner Nitesh Patil has decided to issue notices to two hospitals and four helpline centers. The notices will be issued to KLES Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Arihant Hospital for agreeing to the medical services under the Maharashtra scheme.

MES leader Vikas Kalaghatagi told the media the scheme is a “gift of generosity from Maharashtra to Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka”. He called it a first step in Belagavi district’s eventual merger with Maharashtra.

MES gets more support

Simultaneously, the Maharashtra government has reportedly increased its support to MES in Belagavi. Ranjana Desai of Khanapura taluk in Belagavi applied to the Maharashtra government for reimbursement in December following a heart surgery. The recommendation, made on an MES letterhead with the slogan 'Jai Maharashtra,' resulted in Desai receiving ₹1 lakh from Maharashtra CM Nidhi to be paid to the Arihant Hospital at Belgaum, where the surgery was performed.

Playing politics over language

“Is the Maharashtra government quietly creating key witnesses for the Supreme Court (where the inter-state row is being heard),” asked Gopala Gowda, a pro-Kannada activist in Belgavi. Kannada activists strongly criticised the scheme.

Ashok Chandaragi, head of Action committee of Kannada organisations in Belagavi, has accused Maharashtra of playing politics over language. He criticised the Karnataka government for not taking the issue seriously and warned of a potential crisis if Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah neglected it further.

Praveen Shetty, president of the Karnataka Rakshan Vedike, said the state government should take strict action against Maharashtra. The Kannada groups have even warned of a state-level agitation against this move.