Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 1 Leader of Opposition in the Keralam Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday termed as “unfortunate” the state government decision not to reverse the hike in premium of the insurance schemes meant for Keralite expatriates.
Vijayan, last week in the state assembly, had demanded that the hike in premiums of the NORKA Care and NORKA Care Plus insurance schemes be withdrawn.
On the other hand, Chief Minister V D Satheesan had told the House that the premiums were increased as no insurance company was willing to provide the cover under the earlier rates.
On Sunday, in a Facebook post, the LoP claimed that the UDF government’s decision has deprived the expatriates of the assistance they needed to deal with the crisis triggered by the conflict in the West Asia region.
He contended that the government was not ready to discuss the issue in the Assembly and is continuing its negative approach despite the demands of expatriate organisations.
Vijayan said that the premium for the family floater policy of Rs 5 lakh has been increased from the earlier Rs 13,411 to between Rs 35,664 and Rs 77,773 in one go.
“This increase has become an unbearable burden for ordinary expatriates in the Gulf who work for meager wages and for senior citizens who have returned home after ending their jobs there,” he said.
The Marxist veteran said that the state government is claiming that the insurance companies were not ready to continue with the old rates due to a large amount of claims, causing them huge losses.
He further said that the current government is claiming that the reason for the situation is the provision that allows coverage of existing illnesses also and accused the UDF government of speaking like the private insurance companies.
“The government, which should have negotiated with the companies and ensured better service to the beneficiaries, has surrendered to their interests. The expatriate community generally feels that the increase in the fixed premium rate is more than it can bear. This will derail the scheme itself. The government should consider their legitimate demand to reduce the rate and reorganise it,” Vijayan said.
(PTI News)
