Assam CM distributes cheques under Zero Cost Employee Insurance Scheme

Guwahati, Nov 12 (PTI) In a bid to strengthen the social security net for state government employees, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday presented insurance benefit cheques to seven families under the Zero Cost Employee Insurance Scheme.

The Assam government has introduced the Zero Cost Employee Insurance Scheme which is aimed at providing comprehensive insurance coverage to all permanent regular government employees without any financial burden on them.

The scheme covers air accidental insurance of Rs 2 crore, personal accidental insurance of Rs 1 crore, permanent total disability coverage up to Rs 1 crore, permanent partial disability coverage up to Rs 80 lakh and term life insurance of Rs 10 lakh.

The CM presented cheques to four families of Rs 1 crore each under personal accidental insurance, two families of Rs 10 lakh each under group term life insurance, while one family received insurance amount under permanent partial disability coverage.

Building on the success of the scheme, the state government extended the same benefits to contractual and PSU employees and a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the Axis Bank Ltd, formalising the inclusion of these employee categories under the Zero-Cost Employee Insurance Scheme, with benefits identical to those of regular employees.

The chief minister said that the insurance scheme underscores the state government’s continued commitment to ensuring financial security and dignity for its employees and their families.

The scheme has so far enrolled over four lakh government employees across the state and a total of 238 claims have been reported, out of which 203 claims have been settled, bringing timely financial support to bereaved families, he said.

Out of the total settlement, 193 families have received Rs 10 lakh each under group term life insurance and 10 families have received Rs 1 crore each under personal accidental insurance.

''The Zero-Cost Employee Insurance Scheme was envisaged to provide comprehensive insurance coverage free of cost to all permanent and regular government employees with the facility now extended to the contractual and PSU employees,'' the chief minister added.

The initiative is being implemented by the Finance Department in coordination with all departments, with treasury officers designated as Nodal Officers for effective rollout and monitoring of the scheme.

He said that the scheme is operated through agreements with five major banks namely State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, and Indian Bank, which provide exclusive salary package accounts to the employees offering extensive insurance benefits. PTI DG NN