SURKHET, Nov 27: Despite the announcement of accident insurance for almost two million citizens, the Karnali Province government has failed to implement its declaration.    

On September 18, the Karnali Province government announced a "mass accident insurance" for almost two million citizens amid a grand function in Birendranagar – the capital of the province.

The Ministry for Internal Affairs and Law signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Insurance Company for mass accident insurance of 1.7 million citizens. The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister of the Province Mahendra Bahadur Shahi.

Despite the announcement, the government has failed to prepare the working procedure to implement the announcement. “The working procedure is not fully prepared yet,” said Birendra Yadav, secretary at the Ministry for Internal Affairs and Law.

“After the working procedure is passed by the cabinet, the citizens will get accidental insurance. The draft of the working procedure has been sent to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning,” Yadav said, adding that there has not been any response from the government.

Yadav further added that the citizens will get the insurance amount only after the cabinet passes the working procedure, and the policy is implemented.

As per the agreement, the government will pay Rs seven per citizen to the insurance company in premium. The family members of the citizens losing their lives in natural calamities like earthquake, thunderstorm, flood, among others, will get Rs 100,000 as insurance amount.

Meanwhile, the insurance company doesn't provide the insurance amount if the insured dies outside the Karnali Province.

According to Naresh Bhandari, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, the announcement has not been implemented as the working procedure has not been prepared yet. “The working procedure will be passed from the cabinet within a few weeks. The draft will be forwarded to the Cabinet after it is approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing to raise the insurance amount to Rs 200,000 from Rs 100,000. According to Minister Bhandari, the provincial government had allocated a total of Rs 17.5 million as premium of 1.7 million citizens. “If another Rs 3.6 million is added, each of the insured will get Rs 200,000 in accidental insurance.

The government is also preparing to include civil servants in the insurance policy. “The government is preparing to include 10,000 civil servants in the insurance scheme,” said Birendra Yadav, secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law.

The provincial government is also preparing to provide insurance coverage to 10,000 houses of the region. Each of the insured will get Rs 500,000 as insurance amount if their houses are damaged due to some natural calamities.

 
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