Rail passengers to get Rs 10 lakh insurance cover for a premium of Rs 20 per ticket

Railway passengers with valid reserved tickets in all classes will have to pay a minimal premium of Rs 20 per ticket for an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of death or permanent disability caused in train accident.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Indian Railways is likely to introduce optional insurance scheme for all reserved category passengers from next month.

As per sources, Railway Ministry has cleared a proposal of its subsidiary Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for the new passenger-friendly scheme in which the travellers with valid reserved tickets in all classes will have to pay a minimal premium of Rs 20 per ticket for an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of death or permanent disability caused in train accident.

The proposed insurance scheme is optional and passengers will be given the option at the time of booking tickets. As per the scheme, around Rs 10 lakh will be provided in case of death and permanent disability, Rs 7.5 lakh for partial disability, Rs 5 lakh for hospitalisation and expense for injury and transportation of mortal remains will be Rs 10,000 per passenger.

The one-time insurance coverage will be valid from the actual departure to actual arrival of the train for passengers who opt for e-ticketing.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced plans to launch passenger insurance scheme in Rail Budget this year. According to Indian Railways, nearly 13 million passengers are served by the network daily, out of which nearly 12 million are unreserved passengers.