Kerala’s First Fully Insured Ward
Context:
- In Kerala’s Kollam district, Kalangummukal is an unremarkable rural area primarily populated by low-income families.
- But now that its 1,382 individuals in the 5- to 70-year-old age range have insurance coverage against accidental death and disability, it will be the State’s first ward that is fully insured.
Points to Ponder: 
- The first fully insured ward in Kerala is in the rural area of Kalangummukal in the Kollam district.
- Ward councillor G. Jayaprakash spearheaded the project and offered insurance protection against accidental death and disability to all ward residents between the ages of 5 and 70.
- United India Insurance, a public sector organisation, is providing the insurance coverage, which totals more than 13.82 crore.
- All permanent and temporary residents of the ward have been offered the financial safety net of insurance coverage, and the policies will be handed over to them by next week.
- This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, and the councillor contributed half the amount required for the premium from his honorarium.
- The rest of the amount was sponsored by St. Thomas Senior Secondary School at Punalur, which came to around ₹2 lakh.
- The majority of struggling families in the ward do not take any insurance, and when a tragedy befalls them, they will be in deep crisis.
- In such situations, insurance coverage will be a big help, as very often funds have to be collected, and donations have to be sought, which is a time-consuming process, and the amount raised may not be sufficient.
- Dependents of any policyholder will receive ₹1 lakh in case of accidental death, while those with permanent or partial disability will receive financial assistance up to a maximum of ₹1 lakh based on the percentage of disability.
