SRINAGAR: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), on Sunday, approved the move to enhance free accident insurance cover provided to pilgrims visting the shrine.
“The Shrine Board approved enhancement of Group accidental insurance cover for the pilgrims. The accidental cover extended to each pilgrim free of cost shall now be Rs 5 lakh instead of Rs 3 lakh for those aged 5 and above and Rs 3 lakh for pilgrims below 5 years of age up from Rs 1 lakh at present," said a spokesman of the Board.
The decision was taken at the 63rd meeting of the board, held at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar under the chairmanship of J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik, who is also the chairman of the board.
The spokesman said the Board approved the additional cover to pilgrims, who avail the services of the upcoming Passenger Ropeway between Bhawan and Bhairon Ghati.
“This cover shall be in addition to the accidental cover available to each yatri once he/she collects the yatra slip and commences the pilgrimage,” he said.
The premium on providing insurance cover to the pilgrims is borne by the Shrine Board and the cover has been enhanced after 8 years.
The spokesman said the board also approved a medical support policy for the treatment of victims of public trauma. “The beneficiaries in this policy will include public trauma victims of road accidents, landslides or shooting stone incidents and such calamities from surrounding areas of the shrine referred to the hospital by the Deputy Commissioners concerned to provide emergency medical aid.”
He said medical assistance of upto Rs 2 lakh would be provided to each patient.
To upgrade medical facilities for pilgrims, the board decided to establish a new, fully-equipped and staffed medical unit at Lambi Keri to cater to medical exigencies in the Adhkuwari-Sanjichhat sector taking the total number of medical units to eight on all tracks.
The Shrine board has also decided to implement the Group Mediclaim Insurance Policy for its employees as notified by the State Government for its employees and their dependents.
"Under this scheme, all the 2,960 employees of the Board will be brought under the ambit of this insurance policy for an enhanced insurance cover of Rs 6 lakh for an individual employee and a total of 5 dependents at a premium of Rs 8777/- on the analogy of the State Government for a period of one year," the spokesman added.