Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, July 1: The state government is contemplating introduction of a new health insurance scheme to cover vehicle drivers as they have a higher possibility of facing road mishaps.
The proposed scheme, to be christened Biju Gadi Chalak Bima Yojana, would provide vehicle drivers cover in case of death and medical treatment in the event of injury sustained in road accidents, said sources in the commerce and transport department.
“The insurance scheme is in the pipeline. No concrete decision has been taken so far. We have to work on several aspects, including the premium amount, before finalising the scheme,” said a senior official of the department.
All drivers in the state, including those of trucks and auto-rickshaws, would benefit from the scheme. The department plans to begin talks with companies offering health insurance shortly, said the sources.
As per the proposal, the labour and employees’ state insurance (ESI) department would implement the scheme in collaboration with the transport department. The transport department has already prepared a database of drivers working across the state.
Efforts are on to prepare a detailed report that would include the number of people expected to get benefits from the scheme and the amount of funds required to execute it. The detailed report would be placed before the government for its approval before the scheme is launched, said sources.
Even though Orissa is not among the country’s top 13 road accident-prone states, it records around 1.97 per cent of the total accidents occurring across the country and has a 2.81 per cent share in the total number of people killed in road mishaps.
The accident rate per 10,000 vehicles in the state is around 18.91 per cent against the national average of 26.8 per cent. Last year, the state recorded around 9,648 road accidents cases, in which 3,931 people were killed and 11,087 others were injured. The total loss of property due to accidents in the state in 2014 was estimated around `70 crore.
