The State Government is conducting a special campaign to provide financial security to fishermen families, by including them as beneficiaries of the ‘Accidental Insurance Scheme.’
Under this campaign, the number of fishermen availing accidental insurance has increased from 18,000 to 73,477. This is a free insurance scheme with the provision of including fishermen (age between 18 to 65 years) as beneficiaries of the scheme, official informed.Half of the insurance amount under this scheme is provided by Central Government and remaining is provided by the State Government. The scheme has provision of financial aid worth Rs1 lakh for families of the beneficiary fishermen, who suffer permanent disability or death in any accident.
In case of temporary disability caused due to an accident, the beneficiary fisherman will receive financial aid of Rs50,000.Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Brijmohan Agrawal informed that at the time of the State formation in the year 2,000, only 18,000 fishermen families had accidental insurance.In year 2004-05, the number of fishermen family with insurance increased to 31,400. With each passing year, more and more fishermen families were given the financial security under accidental insurance scheme, he said
The number of insured fishermen increased to 32,857 in year 2005-06, to 42,073 in year 2006-07, 42,299 in year 2007-08, 63,142 in year 2008-09, 72,000 in year 2009-10, and the number increased to 1.15 lakh in year 2010-11.
It further increased to 1.59 lakh in year 2012-13 and by last financial year 2013-14, the number of insured fishermen reached 1.73 lakh.The Minister further informed that under fishermen accidental insurance scheme, beneficiary suffering from temporary disability due to accident is provided financial aid of Rs50,000.
In case of permanent disability or death caused by accident, the person nominated by the beneficiary is provided insurance claim of Rs1 lakh.Agrawal said that this scheme will be upgraded in upcoming month of December, after which financial aid for temporary disability in accident will be increased to Rs1 lakh and financial aid for permanent disability and death caused due to accident will be increased to Rs2 lakh.