The Delhi Government has announced cashless medical facilities for over 20,000 retired Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) pensioners at panel hospitals.

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi Power Minister Atishi revealed this breakthrough, eliminating the need for pensioners to run around offices for medical reimbursements.

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The pensioners will get cashless medical facilities at panel hospitals, and the official notification regarding the same is expected to be issued within the coming one or two days time.

Atishi has said that in the year 2002, a major reform was done in the power sector of Delhi, and different sector units of the power sector were formed from the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB). In this, Delhi government’s power generation companies (IPGCL, PPCL), transmission company (Delhi Transco Limited), and 3 Discoms do the work of power distribution in different parts of the city, she added.

The power minister further said, “When the Delhi Vidyut Board was unbundled, the Delhi government took the responsibility of providing all facilities to the government employees working in the Delhi Vidyut Board at that time. But it was unfortunate that many of the government employees who retired had to face a lot of difficulties. They often did not get their pension on time and did not get other facilities.”

She added that in 2015, when Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi, the DVB pensioners put forth all their problems before him, and she expressed that she is happy that since then, under the leadership of Kejriwal, the system of all the pensioners of DVB has been streamlined and all their needs have been met, she claimed.

However, she said that these pensioners are still facing a problem and added, “Currently, there are more than 20,000 pensioners in DVB. The pensioners who availed medical facilities after retirement had to go through the difficult process of reimbursement. This process was done through the Pension Trust of Delhi Vidyut Board. When an elderly pensioner had to stand in long queues from one office to another for medical bill reimbursement, they used to get very upset,” Atishi explained.

“Today I am happy to announce that the Kejriwal government has decided to provide cashless medical facilities to retired pensioners from Delhi Vidyut Board. Its official notification will be issued in the next 1-2 days,” informed the Power Minister.