Under the PMGKY Insurance Scheme, the public healthcare providers including community health workers may have to be in direct contact and care of Covid-19 patients and who may be at risk of being impacted by this.
The central government has decided that Anganwadi workers would also be covered under the insurance scheme of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana with an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh. As per the information available with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the nodal ministry for Anganwadi workers, there are 13,00,029 Anganwadi workers and 11,79000 Anganwadi helpers and those who aided with Covid-19 related duties will be brought under the insurance cover.
Under the PMGKY Insurance Scheme, the public healthcare providers including community health workers may have to be in direct contact and care of Covid-19 patients and who may be at risk of being impacted by this.
Private hospital staff and retired/volunteer/local urban bodies/contracted/daily wage/ad-hoc/outsourced staff requisitioned by States/Central hospitals/autonomous hospitals of Central/States/UTs, AIIMS and INIs/hospital of Central Ministries can also be drafted for Covid-19 related responsibilities would be covered for the insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh In case of deaths due to Covid-19 or in case of an accident while performing duty related to Covid-19.
So far, the health insurance benefit was extended only to the health workers but now it has been extended for Anganwadi workers too.
Communication has been sent to the state governments to identify these Anganwadi workers who are involved with Covid duties and send the list across to the Centre.
Anganwadi workers have been involved in various Covid related duties since the outbreak of the pandemic. These include frontline activities, door-to-door survey, facilitated in institutional deliveries, taken care of pregnant women who were Covid positive, helped in the vaccination programme, and other Covid related duties.
