Hyderabad: In a major social security initiative, the state govt will roll out a universal life insurance scheme offering Rs 5 lakh cover to one earning member of every family, irrespective of caste, religion or income.Registration for the Indiramma family life insurance scheme will begin across the state on Nov 19, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced, describing Telangana as the first and only state in the country to extend such coverage universally.The registration drive will be launched on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The scheme is aimed at protecting families from financial distress following the death of their earning member, Bhatti said.Bhatti said the cabinet, under the leadership of chief minister A Revanth Reddy, had decided to extend insurance coverage to every family in the state. Unlike earlier insurance schemes, which were confined to specific departments and sections of people, the new initiative would cover all families without any eligibility restrictions based on caste, religion or income.Addressing a video conference with district collectors and senior officials on Friday, Bhatti directed them to launch beneficiary registration simultaneously in every village, town and city from Nov 19 and ensure saturation-level coverage.In families with more than one earning member, the family can choose the person to be covered under the scheme. They can also nominate one or more beneficiaries and specify the proportion in which the insurance amount should be distributed among them.The deputy chief minister instructed officials to exercise utmost care while recording the name of the insured person and nominee details. They should read out the recorded information to family members, obtain their consent and only then secure their signatures.To generate awareness ahead of the launch, Bhatti directed officials to organise extensive publicity campaigns, including announcements in villages on Nov 17 and 18. Details of registration centres should be communicated to people in advance, while social media and other communication platforms should also be used to publicise the scheme.
