Rajahmundry citizens to get insurance cover

The Municipal Corporation of Rajahmundry (MCR), along with the United India Insurance Company Limited, is planning to launch a unique welfare measure, primarily to cover the entire population in Rajahmundry for accident insurance.

The corporation has already tied up with the insurance company for the implementation of this unique scheme. Under this insurance scheme, the citizens "� particularly those from the weaker sections of the society who are critically injured or become disabled in road accidents "� are covered and are given financial assistance.

The policy envisages coverage of the city population against death due to accident for Rs 10,000 and loss of limb for Rs 5,000. The corporation will bear the premium cost on behalf of the denizens of the city. Indore is said to be the first city in the country to evolve such a scheme.

Described as an unprecedented effort in south India, this is the only second instance in the country where the population of a city is being brought under insurance cover, according to the official sources in the United India Insurance Company.

"Indore is said to be the first city in the country to evolve such a scheme. But it discontinued the policy after the first year," the sources added.

Speaking to Business Standard, the commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Rajahmundry, said, "We are working out the population figures as well as the details of the scheme, which will be in place by the end of this year."

The corporation is looking at an estimated population of three lakh even as it weighs the option of the two age groups proposed for the scheme "� 5 to 70 and 18 to 70 "� and figures out the total number of people who fit into it for extending the insurance coverage.

The insurance scheme, to be called as 'Poura Samrakshana Bima Padhakam', will have the municipal corporation certifying the cases eligible among its denizens for the insurance benefit and settling the claims with the insurance company.