For the first time in India, Tamil Nadu to issue insurance cover for all school kids
- First initiative of its kind in India, the coverage is being provided in light of the increasing number of accidents close to school premises.
- Discussions with Palaniswami are underway and an announcement is likely to be made soon.
- The initiative was designed against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu registering the largest number of road accidents in the country.
FollowConsidered to be the first initiative of its kind in India, insurance schemes for all school children to be introduced by the Tamil Nadu government is being widely applauded. The state government is planning to bring all school children under an accident insurance scheme.
Speaking to the Times of India, minister of school education K A Sengottaiyan, said, "The insurance for students is being planned for the first time in the country and discussions are on with chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. An announcement will be made soon."
The minister, however, did not elaborate on whether the scheme would cover only government schools or children of all academic institutions, including private and semi-private schools. It is to be noted that there are 1.4 crore government school students in the state. The state government has already issued health coverage for all its employees and more than 1.5 crore below-poverty-line families.
The initiative was designed against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu registering the largest number of road accidents in the country. According to data published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the state also tops the charts when it comes to number of accidents near educational institutions such as schools and colleges. A total of 5,010 such cases have been registered in 2016, in which 1,207 students were killed and 6,233 were injured.
