Kalangummukal, Ward 32 of the Punalur municipality, is a nondescript rural part mostly populated by underprivileged families. But now it will be Kerala’s first fully insured ward as 1,382 residents in the five to 70 age group will be eligible for insurance coverage against accidental death and disability.
An initiative of ward councillor G. Jayaprakash, the entire ward has an insurance coverage of over ₹13.82 crore under a plan provided by United India Insurance, a public sector company.
“All permanent and temporary residents of the ward have been offered the financial safety net of insurance coverage. Documents have been printed and the policies will be handed over to them by next week. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country,” says Mr. Jayaprakash.
He says it is the plight of financially weak families that prompted him to look for possible solutions.
“The majority of the struggling families do not take any insurance and when some kind of tragedy befalls them, they will be in deep crisis. Very often we have to collect funds and depend on donations, which is a time-consuming process and the amount we raise too will not be sufficient. Recently, a woman who visited our municipal office tripped on the steps and suffered a fracture. She was not able to work for a while. In such situations, an insurance coverage will be a huge assistance,” he says.
While the councillor contributed half the amount required for the premium from his honorarium, the rest was sponsored by St Thomas Senior Secondary School at Punalur. “It came to around ₹2 lakh and though we first tried for group insurance, the process turned out to be too difficult. Later, we opted for individual policy to ensure maximum coverage,” he adds.
At present, the dependents of any policyholder will receive ₹1 lakh in case of accidental death while those with permanent or partial disability will get financial assistance up to a maximum of ₹1 lakh based on the percentage of disability. “The current plan will expire in May 20, 2024 and we will continue this project in the coming years too,” says Mr. Jayaprakash.
