Centre to provide fresh insurance cover to 'COVID-19 warriors'
What's the story
The Union Health Ministry on Monday announced that all claims of "COVID-19 warriors" under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package will be settled till April 24 after which a fresh insurance policy for them will become effective. The ministry tweeted that new dispensation will be provided to cover corona warriors. For this, the ministry is in talks with the New India Assurance, it said.
Twitter Post
Here is what the Union Health Ministry tweeted
The claims under PMGKP will be settled by the Insurance Company till 24th of April 2021.
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) April 18, 2021
Thereafter a new dispensation will be provided to cover the Corona Warriors, for which the Ministry is in talks with the Insurance Company (New India Assurance).
Quote
287 claims have been paid by insurance company so far
"Two hundred and eighty-seven claims have been paid by the insurance company so far. The scheme has played a crucial psychological role in boosting the morale of the health workers fighting COVID-19," the ministry said in a statement.
PMGKP
PMGKP was announced in March last year
"The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) insurance policy claims of COVID-19 warriors will continue to be settled till 24th April 2021, thereafter a fresh insurance policy for COVID-19 warriors will become effective," it said. "The PMGKP insurance policy was announced in March last year and was extended thrice till April 24," the ministry further said.
Insurance cover
Rs. 50 lakh insurance cover is provided under PMGKP scheme
It was launched to provide a safety net to the health workers to ensure that in case of any adversity due to COVID-19, their families are taken care of. Insurance cover of Rs. 50 lakh is provided under the PMGKP scheme. This has provided a safety net to the dependents of the coronavirus warriors who lost their lives to the disease.
COVID-19
PM Modi holds meeting as India battles COVID-19 second wave
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an important meeting today to review the coronavirus situation in the country, which is deteriorating with each passing day. Yesterday, he had evaluated the coronavirus condition in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and urged eligible beneficiaries to get vaccinated. He had held another meeting on Saturday on the condition prevailing in India.
Meeting
India registered another record spike
PM Modi's crucial meeting comes on a day when India touched another grim milestone in the coronavirus battle. A record 2,73,810 fresh cases were added on Sunday and 1,619 more people succumbed to the disease. The total caseload has now crossed the 1.50 crore mark and the death toll has increased to 1,78,769. The number of active cases has swelled to 19,29,329.