MLAs allowed to use CDF for life-saving medical assistance

Jammu, July 6: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has amended the guidelines governing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Scheme, allowing Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to utilize a portion of their annual CDF allocation for providing financial assistance to patients suffering from life-threatening diseases.

According to Government Order No. 230-FD of 2026, issued by the Finance Department on July 6, 2026, MLAs can now allocate up to Rs 20 lakh annually from their Constituency Development Fund for medical assistance to eligible beneficiaries.Under the revised guidelines, the maximum financial assistance for an individual beneficiary has been fixed at Rs 2.75 lakh for cancer treatment, Rs 5 lakh for organ transplantation, and Rs 1 lakh for chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis, besides assistance for other life-threatening diseases as may be notified by the Government.

The order specifies that the benefit will be restricted to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and other economically weaker sections as notified by the Government. Assistance will be available only for specified life-threatening illnesses, including cancer, organ transplantation, chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplantation, and other diseases notified by the Government from time to time.

The guidelines further provide that beneficiaries must first exhaust all eligible benefits available under existing government healthcare schemes, including PM-JAY SEHAT, the Medical Aid Trust (MAT), the Cancer Treatment and Management Fund for Poor (CTMFFP), and any other applicable schemes. Financial assistance under the CDF will be limited to the uncovered portion of the treatment cost.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the Government has stipulated that payments will be made directly to the empanelled hospital or medical institution and not to the beneficiary. It has also prescribed a monetary ceiling per patient and an annual ceiling from each MLA’s CDF allocation.

The revised guidelines mandate that all cases shall be processed only after certification by the competent medical authority and verification of the beneficiary’s income eligibility by the concerned district authorities. A transparent approval and audit mechanism has also been made mandatory to prevent misuse of funds and ensure proper accountability.

The amendment has been issued as a partial modification to Government Order No. 279-FD of 2025 dated October 30, 2025, with the objective of extending timely financial support to economically weaker patients requiring treatment for life-threatening illnesses while maintaining strict financial and administrative safeguards.