Telangana government secures free accidental insurance for 12.91 lakh employees

The Telangana government has secured bank financing for a ₹1 crore accidental insurance cover that will impose no premium burden on either the state exchequer or its workforce, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka announced.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Vikramarka explained that the government negotiated agreements with banks where employee salaries are credited, persuading them to underwrite the insurance scheme in recognition of the commercial benefits they derive from the relationship with government staff. "As a result, neither the government nor the employees would bear any cost towards premium payment," he told the House.

12.91 lakh employees under accidental cover

The accidental cover scheme, described as the largest being implemented for government staff in the country, now protects 12.91 lakh employees. The beneficiaries include 5.18 lakh regular staff, 5.01 lakh employees on contract, outsourcing, work charged and other categories, and 2.72 lakh pensioners and their eligible dependents.

The scheme was first launched in Singareni Collieries Company Limited, then extended to the power utilities last year before being rolled out to all government employees.

Claims settlement under way

The government has received 33 claims from employees since the scheme's launch, of which 24 have been settled. The Energy department submitted 15 claims, all of which have been cleared involving over ₹15 crore. Separately, 50 claims filed by the SCCL have been settled.

₹240 crore corpus for health scheme

In parallel, the Telangana government has constituted a corpus of around ₹240 crore for the effective implementation of the Employees Health Scheme, which envisages cashless treatment for employees in empaneled hospitals.

Vikramarka said the health scheme fulfills a long-standing demand from employees for cashless medical treatment. A monitoring committee comprising senior officials headed by the Chief Secretary and representatives of employees associations has been constituted to oversee implementation. The scheme will provide facilities including cashless treatment and CGHS-package-based medical services.

Source: The Hindu