Hyderabad: Those travelling to Gulf countries on work visas are entitled to Rs 10 lakh insurance under the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY), which is valid for two years.
By paying Rs 314, any individual travelling to Gulf countries can avail this benefit. But this covers only accidental deaths, not natural death, suicide or death in prisons.
NGOs working for migrant workers’ rights say that the government should design welfare schemes for migrant workers as they too contribute to the economy.
The families of those who die face many difficulties in getting the dead bodies back to India, starting from shifting the body to India to getting a NOC from the police. The woes are worse for illiterate families.
PBBY covers accidental bodily injury leading to death or permanent total disablement resulting to loss of employment within 12 months of bodily injury. In case of death, it also covers transportation expenses of the body of the deceased back home.
The policy does not cover natural deaths caused due to sickness or suicides or under the influence of alcohol or if the deceased person was working in a different job or in a different country or for a different employer than that mentioned in the form. Since very few migrant workers die in accidents, the policy becomes redundant.
Activists working for migrants’ rights say that the state governments should at least design welfare measures for them and their families. “Migrant workers are the least considered class here.
By sending the money they earn in Gulf to India, they are helping our economy. The money is spent here in the form of taxes, investments. But still no one cares about them,” said Migrants Rights Council’s VP M. Bheem Reddy.
In addition to these troubles, transporting a body after death is a cumbersome process. Families have to wait for days and even sometimes for months to take possession of the body. “Governments can set up a desk at the cargo terminal to facilitate NOCs so that their wait can be minimised,” said Mr Reddy.
