BPL families in Corpn limits across TN to get new insurance scheme

Officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation have started identifying eligible BPL families in the city, where the new insurance scheme would be rolled out in the first phase. Later, it would be extended to all other city Corporations in the State.

According to an official source from the Corporation, sanitary inspectors in all the divisions have been directed to conduct the identification drive so as to enrol all deserving BPL families. “The new insurance scheme that would cover all BPL families will provide additional coverage beyond the diseases and ailments covered in the present insurance scheme,” the source said.

The Corporation had already conducted a drive to identify BPL families in the city when Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced Rs 2,000 monetary assistance to these families across the State in February 2019 citing Cyclone Gaja and drought-like situation.“Most of the BPL families have already been identified. Now we must verify the detailed collected, apart from finding out the families that were missed out,” the official added.

As per the survey on BPL families conducted in 2004, there were around 5.19 lakh BPL families in the city. But the civic body was able to identify less than 3 lakh families during the drive last year. When asked the reason for missing nearly half of the families, the officials had then said that many families would have moved out of the city after the BPL survey that was conducted 15 years ago.