Two flagship social security schemes - Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) - launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May this year have received very poor response in the Maharashtra and Goa postal circle with only 389 enrolments till October this year.
Figures obtained from the Maharashtra and Goa Postal Circle have revealed that three regions (Aurangabad, Mumbai and Nagpur) did not find even a single taker in both the schemes while two other regions (Goa and Pune) had only a handful of registrations.
In all, Goa region received only 31 enrollees for the PMJJBY and 29 enrolments for PMSBY till October while Pune region received 48 enrolments for PMJJBY and 281 enrolments for PMSBY.
Figures also say that the postal department, which administers/offers these schemes, had set a target of 50,000 enrolments for PMJJBY and five lakh for PMSBY till the end of the fiscal year. However, only 389 enrolments were received for both the schemes in the entire Maharashtra and Goa circle.
When contacted, Chief Post Master General of Maharashtra and Goa Circle, Ashok Kumar Dash said the department was aware about the cold response to these schemes and has already initiated measures to attract applicants.
"Very recently, we reviewed this and have passed the guidelines to attract applicants. The major cause is that people are not aware that such facilities are available at post offices also and about the great benefits of these schemes," Dash said.
"We are only a service provider and are not marketing the facilities available with us. So this could be the reason of low registration for both the insurance schemes," he said.
With a view to give a push to the dismal rate of personal insurance in the country, Modi had launched Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) where by paying an annual premium of Rs 330 one can get life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh for death due to any reason.
In Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), which was also launched at the same time one can get upto Rs 2 lakh accident/disability cover for an annual premium of Rs 12.
