Srinagar: All Amarnath yatra pilgrims will
have insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh free of cost.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Tuesday received a
policy extending the insurance cover to all the registered
yatris, labourers and pony owners during the upcoming Amarnath
yatra, from chairman-cum-managing director of New India
Assurance Company, Mumbai, M Ramadoss, who called on him at
Raj Bhavan here.
The insurance policy has the provision of free of charge
accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh for every pilgrim who
possesses a yatra permit. The entire expenditure for drawing
this insurance cover is being borne by the Shri Amarnath
Shrine Board (SASB) which manages the annual yatra.
In the 2009 yatra, a yatri seeking an accident insurance
cover was required to pay Rs 24 at the time of registration
for the yatra. Accidental insurance cover has also been
provided, with the support from the state government, to all
the registered labourers deployed during the yatra, as well
as for pony owners, in case their horse/pony is involved
in an accidental death.
This scheme is aimed at benefitting about 20,000
labourers and 7,000 pony-owners, belonging to economically
weaker sections of society, and is among the several new
initiatives for ensuring progressive improvement in the yatra
management.
The yatra to the 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine of
Amarnath in South Kashmir Himalayas commences from July 1 and
attracts lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad
every year. The cave shrine houses the naturally formed ice
Shivalingam.
PTI
