Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

Postal Life Insurance will be taken to doorsteps: Raja

— Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy

PROVIDING COVER: Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology A. Raja handing over documents to an insured at Sholur Mattam near Kotagiri on Saturday. Khadi Board Minister K. Ramachandran (second from right), the Nilgiris Collector Anandrao V. Patil (second from left) are in the picture.

Udhagamandalam: Sholur Mattam, a village near Kotagiri in a remote part of the Nilgiris district, on Saturday donned the role of launch pad for the National Micro Insurance Drive for Rural Postal Life Insurance (PLI).

The objective is to enhance awareness about Rural PLI, which has been introduced with the specific mandate of covering the rural population with emphasis on weaker sections in general and women in particular.

Launching the drive, Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology A. Raja said the benefits of insurance should be provided to all without laying down conditions.

Averring that the Department of Posts will take insurance to the doorsteps of people, he said despite the entry of many players, the Postal Department was, even now, most trustworthy. Common people should cultivate the habit of savings.

Referring to the department’s annual loss, which is about Rs.700 crore, Mr. Raja said new schemes were being introduced to effectively utilise the wide network. Pointing out that the number of cell phone connections issued every month was about 7.5 million a few months ago, he said it had gone up to 12 million. Shortly, it would be increased to 15 million.

He expressed confidence that within two years cell phone charges would come down to ten paise a minute for local calls and 25 paise for national calls.

Mr. Raja distributed policy documents to a few insurants and licenses to some direct agents.

Khadi Board Minister K. Ramachandran, said that thanks to the efforts of Mr. Raja,Coonoor was likely to get an Arts college shortly.

The Nilgiris Collector Anandrao V. Patil said that the Rural Postal Life Insurance scheme would effect widespread changes on the insurance front. Competition with the Life Insurance Corporation would, hopefully, lead to fall in premium.

Member (Postal Life Insurance) Postal Services Board, New Delhi, Uday Balakrishnan, said the drive was to bring all the people under the insurance umbrella. Apart from covering their risks the scheme would facilitate savings.

Pointing out that 1.4 million lives were covered across the country in just a month, he said it was proposed to increase this to 25 million before the end of this fiscal.

Coonoor MLA A. Soundarapandian spoke.

Chief General Manager, Postal Life Insurance, S.K. Sinha, welcomed the gathering. Postmaster General, Western Region, V. Rajarajan, proposed a vote of thanks.

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