Rameshwar Naik appointed as Head of CM's Medical Assistance Cell

Mumbai: A few days after assuming office, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appointed Rameshwar Naik as head of the Chief Minister Medical Assistance Cell on Wednesday.

As per the PTI news agency report, Naik has replaced Mangesh Chivte, considered a close aide of former CM and current deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Chivte was given the post after Shinde took over as Maharashtra’s CM in June 2022.

However, after Fadnavis took charge as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 5 December 2024, Naik has been recently made the head of the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Naik earlier headed the medical aid cell of the deputy chief minister when Fadnavis held the post.

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Chief Minister's relief fund aims at providing immediate relief to the people in distress in the State of Maharashtra as well as in the country. The Chief Minister Relief Fund provides financial assistance to the people affected by major natural calamities like floods, droughts, fire accidents etc. It also provides financial assistance to economically weaker citizens for treatment of some of the major diseases.

Officials told TOI, "Many costly treatments, such as lung surgery, and knee and hip replacements, that were kept out of the cover were later included under the scheme. Accident victims will be given help under this scheme."

Speaking to The Indian Express, Naik said, "My task will be to make the CM Medical Assistance Cell as people-friendly as possible and to ensure that as many people benefit from this."

As per the Daily sources, the CM Medical Assistance Cell distributed Rs 381 crore medical aid for 51,000 patients and Rs 38 crore has been spent for natural calamities during the past 2.5 years.

Along with the administrative changes, the government has also decided to merge a medical cell working to ensure beds for poor patients at charitable hospitals run by trusts — which in the previous government was under then Deputy CM Fadnavis — with the CM Medical Assistance Cell. Naik was in charge of the cell under Fadnavis in the previous government.

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