Kuwait Fire: All About Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana That Offers Rs 10 Lakh Sum To Indian Emigrant Workers

In an unfortunate incident, a fire that broke out in a six-storey building in Kuwait has succumbed the lives of some 40 Indian migrant workers, while 50 others are reported to be injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured. Further, the PM has announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased. However, as deadly and heartbreaking as the incident is, it also sheds light on the need of having insurance.

For Indian migrant Indian workers, there is one such government scheme that offers up to Rs 10 lakh sum on events of accidental death or permanent disability. This scheme is called Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana, 2017.

Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana:

PBBY is a compulsory insurance scheme whose objective is to safeguard the interests of Indian emigrant workers falling under the Emigration Check Required (ECR) category going for overseas employment in ECR countries. Initially launched in 2003, the scheme underwent a series of modifications in 2006, 2008 and 2017 to strengthen the coverage of emigrant workers.

As per the government guidelines, the revised scheme has also been made compulsory for various professions falling under work categories under Section 2(o) of the Emigration Act, 1983 irrespective of the passport categories. PBBY, 2017 also includes global insurance coverage irrespective of employer and location, has a facility for online renewal and a simplified process for certification of accidental death/permanent disability. The scheme is now more beneficial for emigrant workers and is aimed at ensuring an expeditious settlement of claims.

Under the scheme, a sum of Rs 10 lakh is offered to the insured person in the case of accidental death or permanent disability leading to loss of employment while in employment abroad, irrespective of the change of employer/location of the insured person. The premium is Rs 275 and Rs 375 for a period of two and three years respectively.

The eligibility criteria for the scheme is that the applicant must an Overseas Indian (cleared emigration). Also, the age of the applicant should fall between 18 - and 65 Years (The maximum entry age is subject to emigration clearance).

Other salient features of the scheme as per the Ministry of External Affairs guidelines are:

1. Certification of accidental death or permanent disability by Indian Missions and Posts abroad shall be accepted by the insurance companies.

2. Medical insurance cover including injuries/sickness/ailment/diseases available up to Rs.1,00,000/- (up to Rs. 50,000 per hospitalization).

3. Repatriation cover for medically unfit/premature termination of employment: Actual one-way economy class airfare to the nearest international airport in India.

4. Family Hospitalization in India is available up to Rs. 50,000/- for spouses and first two children up to 21 years of age.

5. Maternity expenses benefit to women emigrants available up to Rs. 50,000/-.

6. Reimbursement of return economy class airfare to the nearest international airport to one attendant in case of an emigrant's accidental death or permanent disability.

7. Legal expenses on litigation related to the emigrant's overseas employment admissible up to Rs. 45,000/-.

8. Provision for online renewal of PBBY policy.

To the families of the deceased or injured, if the victims of the Kuwait fire have opted for the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana scheme, then these benefits can be availed.

In case of death due to accidents, the documents required for the scheme are - a police Report confirming accidental death; post post-mortem report; a Certificate / Report from the concerned Indian Embassy; and lastly Duly attested copy of the passport (all pages).

In case of permanent disability, the documents required for availing of the benefits in the scheme would be --, medical records about treatment following the accident; and disability certificate issued by the competent medical authority.

In case of permanent total disability, documents depending on the nature of the claim as may be sought by the Company, inter alia -- original insurance certificate/policy; application form for compensation duly filled in all respects and signed by the claimant; and copy of passport (all pages) duly attested, if death occurs outside India.

If you're planning to work in Kuwait or any other region outside India, it is safe to apply for PBBY to safeguard your future and your loved ones. Here's how to apply for the scheme:

PBBY can be purchased online. Entities such as IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance and Oriental Insurance offer multiple online channels from where you can buy the PBBY policy. However, before starting with your application, you must keep all your travel-related documents such as Passport, Visa, Work Permit No. etc. ready with you.

How To Apply:

Step 1: In case, you are a new customer, then you first need to fill in all the relevant details in the online form, and then you shall be automatically taken to the payment page.

Step 2: When prompted on the screen fill in all the mandatory details correctly.

Step 3: You will be directed to the premium payment page, where you can select from any of the acceptable modes of payment and make the payment as per your policy premium. You can select the most suitable payment option for you and make the payment accordingly.

Notably, accepted Modes of Payment: UPI, Internet Banking, Debit Card, Online Wallets, and Credit Card (Master card, Visa and American Express).

Step 4: After the payment has been successfully processed, you will be directed to the confirmation page. You must download the receipt for future reference.

Kuwait Fire, PM Modi Relief Funds:

The incident took place in the early hours of June 12 in the Mangaf area of the southern Ahmadi Governorate in Kuwait. The fire broke out in the kitchen of the six-storey building before escalating and creating mayhem. As per reports, approximately 40 Indians lost their lives and are said to be in the age group of 20 to 50 years. While 50 others were still injured severely. The majority of the victims are reported to be from Kerala.

PM Modi chaired a review meeting on the fire tragedy in Kuwait in which several Indian nationals died and many were injured, at his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi on Wednesday itself. He expressed his deep sorrow at the unfortunate incident and extended condolences to the families of the deceased. He wished speedy recovery of those injured.

Indian PM has directed that the Government of India should extend all possible assistance. MOS External Affairs should immediately travel to Kuwait to oversee the relief measures and facilitate expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains. He further announced ex-gratia relief of Rupees 2 lakh to the families of the deceased Indian nationals from the Prime Minister Relief Fund.