In Kerala’s Kollam district, Kalangummukal is an unremarkable rural area primarily populated by low-income families.
But now that its 1,382 individuals in the 5- to 70-year-old age range have insurance coverage against accidental death and disability, it will be the State’s first ward that is fully insured.
Points to Ponder:
The first fully insured ward in Kerala is in the rural area of Kalangummukal in the Kollam district.
Ward councillor G. Jayaprakash spearheaded the project and offered insurance protection against accidental death and disability to all ward residents between the ages of 5 and 70.
United India Insurance, a public sector organisation, is providing the insurance coverage, which totals more than 13.82 crore.
All permanent and temporary residents of the ward have been offered the financial safety net of insurance coverage, and the policies will be handed over to them by next week.
This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, and the councillor contributed half the amount required for the premium from his honorarium.
The rest of the amount was sponsored by St. Thomas Senior Secondary School at Punalur, which came to around ₹2 lakh.
The majority of struggling families in the ward do not take any insurance, and when a tragedy befalls them, they will be in deep crisis.
In such situations, insurance coverage will be a big help, as very often funds have to be collected, and donations have to be sought, which is a time-consuming process, and the amount raised may not be sufficient.
Dependents of any policyholder will receive ₹1 lakh in case of accidental death, while those with permanent or partial disability will receive financial assistance up to a maximum of ₹1 lakh based on the percentage of disability.
