Shimla:Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today informed the Assembly during question hour that all left out BPL families in the state would be covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme shortly.

Replying to a question of Mukesh Agnihotri, Kaul Singh Thakur and Kuldeep Pathania (Congress) Dhumal said that till then the eligble families could avail free medical facilities in government institutions, as they had not been withdrawn.

New smart cards would be issued to the left out families after the survey to identify BPL families was completed, he said, adding that facilities available to BPL families prior to the launch of the scheme had not been withdrawn.

The Congress members pointed out that in several panchayats, smart cards of BPL families had not been made and said that such families should be covered.