The Hindu : Here, most women are insured

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 25, 2002

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Here, most women are insured

By Aarti Dhar

JAGDALPUR (Chhattisgarh) MAY 24. A unique revolution is sweeping the rural areas of the tribal-dominated Bastar in Chhattisgarh. All rural women — the backbone of the domestic economy — between 10 and 75 years have been insured under the Rajrajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Bima Yojana. The scheme is being run in collaboration with private insurance companies.

``Going by the success and response to the scheme, we have extended it to urban women also,'' says Richa Sharma, Collector. Keeping in mind the extreme working conditions that women are exposed to here, the district administration initiated the Rajrajeshwari women's welfare insurance scheme on October 29, 1999.

Under this scheme, all rural girls and women in the age groups of 10 to 75 are insured against accidents, natural calamities, unnatural deaths and snakebites, which is very common in areas with thick forest cover. "Women normally go deep inside the jungles to collect minor forest produce on which the economy of their family depends,'' says Ms. Sharma. The number of deaths due to snakebites goes up considerably during monsoons. In case a woman dies, her family or dependents get Rs. 25,000 and if she is permanently disabled, she gets Rs. 12,500. However, Rs. 25,000 is also given to the husband in case of death during childbirth or removal of uterus. The amount is full in case she loses her eyesight.

"All that a woman, married or single, has to pay is a premium of Rs. 4.68 annually,'' says Ms. Sharma. Between October 29, 1999 and October 28, 2000, as many as 3.75 lakh rural women in Bastar were insured and an amount of Rs. 17.55 lakhs given to the insurance company. The company also disbursed Rs. 53 lakhs among the claimants covering 212 cases. Similarly, between January 8, 2001 and January 7, 2002, 3.75 lakh women paid Rs. 15.93 lakhs to the New India Assurance Company at the rate of Rs. 4.25 per head per year. The company has so far disbursed Rs. 30.75 lakhs among 123 claimants while 91 cases are awaiting disposal.

The administration has now tied up with the Oriental Insurance Company for the year beginning March 28, 2002 to March 27, 2003 at a premium rate of Rs. 7.50 per head annually. This year, women from the urban regions have also been included. In the case of a death, the sarpanch and the police station in-charge have to be informed who in turn inform the district panchayat or the municipal committee.

The matter is ultimately reported to the insurance company. The cheque issued by the company is routed through the same channel to ensure that the family does not have to run from pillar-to-post to get its claim settled.

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Here, most women are insured