According to a recent government resolution, the Maharashtra government has extended its healthcare scheme to 865 villages in neighbouring Karnataka amidst the ongoing border dispute between the two states. People who are already beneficiaries of the Antyodaya food scheme, priority group families (under the National Food Security Act 2013) and Annapurna ration card holders can avail of healthcare benefits under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana. The families in these villages will get medical insurance up to ₹ 1.50 lakh per year for 996 types of treatments identified by the state, including 34 different types of expert consultancies as well. The Maharashtra government has recognised several hospitals in the state where this scheme can be availed by the people.
The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines, and Maharashtra has been claiming Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to more than 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of the southern state. Karnataka, however, considers the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final. Maharashtra claims that Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) and several other Marathi-speaking areas were unjustly included in the state of Karnataka when states were reorganized on linguistic lines in 1956. Maharashtra has been demanding the inclusion of these areas into their state, while Karnataka insists that the borders are settled and final. The dispute has been ongoing for several decades and has been a contentious issue between the two states.
