Government issues order for students’ insurance scheme

The government order that was issued on Tuesday said Rs 1 lakh would be given to the family of the student in case of death, Rs 50,000 in case of serious injuries, and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries and hospitalisation. This would be applicable for students from government and government-aided schools. 

Tamil Nadu is the first state in the country to have such a scheme for students. 

“If the student gets injured while participating in camps and rallies organised during NCC, junior Red Cross, Scouts and Guides, and environmental club activities, they will still be covered. The compensation will also be extended to those who die in water bodies during holidays. Incidents during sports competitions and accidents in labs and also due to electricity leakage too will be covered,” an official said. “The family will be compensated even If a student dies due to a bite of poisonous creature.” 

The GO stated that these are the major causes of death among students due to which the parents of the victims were left distressed. “It is essential to provide compensation to the families in such cases,” said the order. 

There are 37,201 government schools and 8402 government-aided schools under the school education department, including primary, middle, high school and higher secondary schools. This scheme will cover over 85,00,00 students across the state. 

The GO also says that the funds, for now, would be taken from the emergency cash reserve. Next year, they would include it in the demand for grants and get state assembly’s approval. School education minister had earlier mentioned that the compensation will be provided within 48 hours, and can be collected from the collector or district educational officer or senior district officials.