GUWAHATI: In a move toward strengthening social security net for State government employees, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma today presented insurance benefit cheques to seven families at a function held at Lok Sewa Bhawan here today.
It may be noted that government of Assam in its bid to strengthen employee welfare and financial security introduced the Zero Cost Employee Insurance Scheme in January this year. The scheme aims at providing comprehensive insurance coverage to all permanent regular government employees without any financial burden on them. The insurance scheme encompasses five coverage namely Air Accidental Insurance of Rs. 2 crore, Personal Accidental Insurance of Rs. 1 crore, Permanent Total Disability coverage up to Rs. 1 crore, Permanent Partial disability coverage up to Rs. 80 lakh and Term Life Insurance of Rs. 10 lakh.
Chief Minister Dr. Sarma as a part of the Zero Premium Insurance coverage today presented insurance benefit cheques to seven families; four families received Rs. 1 crore each under Personal Accidental Insurance, two families received Rs. 10 lakh each under Group Term Life Insurance, and one family received insurance amount under Permanent Partial disability coverage.
Building on the success of the scheme, State government extending the same benefits to contractual and PSU employees also signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Axis Bank Ltd, formalising the inclusion of these employee categories under the Zero-Cost Employee Insurance Scheme, with benefits identical to those of regular employees.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said that the insurance scheme launched by the government underscores State government’s continued commitment to ensuring financial security and dignity for its employees and their families. Specifying on the coverage of the scheme, the Chief Minister said that so far, the scheme has enrolled over four lakh government employees across the state. A total of 238 claims have been reported, out of which 203 claims have been settled, bringing timely financial support to bereaved families. Out of the total settlement, 193 families have received Rs. 10 lakh each under Group Term Life Insurance (GTLI) and 10 families have received Rs. 1 crore each under Personal Accidental Insurance (PAI).
The Chief Minister moreover, said that the Zero-Cost Employee Insurance Scheme was envisaged to provide comprehensive insurance coverage free of cost to all permanent and regular government employees. Now with the MoU with the Axis Bank the facility has been extended to the contractual and PSU employees, the Chief Minister added.
Dr. Sarma also said that the initiative is being implemented by the Finance Department in coordination with all departments, with Treasury Officers designated as Nodal Officers for effective rollout and monitoring of the scheme. He moreover said that the scheme is operated through agreements with five major banks namely State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, and Indian Bank, which provide exclusive salary package accounts to the employees offering extensive insurance benefits, a press release said.
Also Read: CM Himanta Sarma distributes cheques to women entrepreneurs in Dhubri