Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana: Foreign Secretary interacts with scheme beneficiaries

The Government of India has been running Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana insurance scheme for overseas Indians since 2003. The scheme has become better over a period of time, as it offers insurance cover in low premium

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The Government of India is serious about the welfare of migrant Indians. For this Foreign Secretary Ministry of External Affairs Harsh V Shringla interacted with the beneficiaries of Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT), and Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) — two major initiatives of the Government of India for the welfare of Indian emigrants, news agency ANI reported.

The Foreign Secretary reviewed the schemes and interacted with the beneficiaries. In a tweet, Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, said, “Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla interacted with beneficiaries of two major initiatives of the Government of India for the welfare of Indian emigrants – PDOT Pre-Departure Orientation Training, and PBBY Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana.”

The Government of India has been running Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana insurance scheme for overseas Indians since 2003. The scheme has become better over a period of time, as it offers insurance cover at low premium.

Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana is an essential insurance scheme aimed at protecting the interests of Indian migrant workers falling under the Emigration Check Required (ECR) category. It helps individuals going for employment in ECR countries.

According to the spokesperson, the PDOT has played an important role in protecting the interests of the Indian workers migrating to foreign countries, while the PBBY has provided them and their families with the financial safety net.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of accidental death and permanent disability. An individual covered under the scheme can get an insurance premium of Rs 275 and Rs 375 for a period of two and three years respectively. By paying this premium, one can help oneself and family to deal with adverse situations.

Following countries come under ECR category countries:

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Qatar, South Sudan, Sudan, Oman, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen etc.

Following are the benefits of Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana:

1. Under the scheme, in case of accidental death or permanent disablement while in service abroad, the maximum sum insured to a person shall be rupees ten lakhs irrespective of his employer or location.
2. Accidental death or permanent disability certificate attested by Indian Missions and Posts abroad will be valid for insurance companies. If the incident of accidental death or permanent disablement occurs in India, the certificate in this regard will be issued by the Protector-PoE of the migrants concerned.
3. Medical Sum Assured for treatment of injury or any disease raised from Rs.75,000 to Rs.1 lakh. In this, treatment of Rs 50,000 will be given per person admitted in the hospital.
4. In case of non-fit on medical grounds or premature termination, it will be provided for repatriation in economy class to the nearest airport in India.
5. 50 thousand rupees will be provided for the treatment of family members in India.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of accidental death and permanent disability. An individual covered under the scheme can get an insurance premium of Rs 275 and Rs 375 for a period of two and three years respectively

6. Maternity benefit for migrant women has been increased from Rs.25000 to Rs.35000.
7. The amount of law expenditure on litigation in matters relating to employment of migrants abroad has been increased from 30 thousand to 45 thousand.
8. There is also a provision for online renewal of PBBI policy.

Following are the companies that provide insurance facility

IFFCO Tokyo General Insurance Company Limited, Reliance General Insurance Company Limited, Star Health & Allied Insurance Company, New India Assurance Company, and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company.

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