By Ravi Garg
The Odisha Railway mishap that took place on 2 June took a heavy toll of human lives. People lost their loved ones and it is very hard to describe their pain in words.
Such incidents teach us many lessons which should be followed up. The government has launched many schemes for the benefit of the general public. But the problem is, we do not utilise the same due to lack of awareness.
Insurance Cover provided by IRCTC
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has provided an online platform to book tickets. Now, the days of long queues have gone and you can book a ticket from any place as per your convenience. While booking the online ticket, there is an option to choose travel insurance, which insures the passenger travelling in the train.
The following are the details of Insurance provided by IRCTC:
- What are the disabilities covered by the insurance company?
The coverage of the policy shall be for each passenger under the PNR in case of death, permanent total disability, permanent partial disability and hospitalisation expenses for injury and transportation of mortal remains following a rail accident or untoward incident.
- Who are the parties for contract of Insurance?
Insurance policies are contractual obligations between the insurance company and the passenger. IRCTC only provides linkage to transact with the Insurance Company through its website and, as such, takes no responsibility in respect of insurance policy.
- How much is the amount of insurance cover?
The travel insurance scheme shall be kept uniform for all classes:
| Death | Permanent Total Disability | Permanent Partial Disability | Hospitalization expenses for Injury | Transportation of mortal remains |
| Rs 10,00,000 | Rs 10,00,000 | Rs 7,50,000 | Rs 2,00,000 | Rs 10,000 |
*Claim shall be settled by the insurance company subject to terms & conditions mentioned in the policy.
- How much insurance premium needs to be paid to get Insurance cover?
The cost of insurance premium is just Rs 0.35 (i.e. 35 paise) which provides you the insurance cover as mentioned above.
- How to get insurance cover?
To get the insurance cover, all you need to do is, while booking online ticket, tick the Travel Insurance option. Rs 0.35 will be added to the price that needs to be paid for booking of ticket. You will get the confirmation email from the Insurance Company along with premium receipt.
Although money can’t payback what is lost, but it can provide you the strength to fight the battle of life in the future. Further, it is a very nominal amount which needs to be paid to get oneself insured while travelling. Take the benefit of the policies designed by the government for you.
Deep Condolences for the people who lost their lives in the Odisha Railway Accident!
(Ravi Garg is an associate Chartered Accountant, who has completed his CA at just the age of 21 years).
