Group Housing for Country’s 60 Lakh School Teachers

   The Government is mooting a Health Insurance  cover and a group housing cover for the 60 lakh school teachers in the country.  The Government is also proposing a group housing scheme for the teachers of the  country. This was stated by Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri  Kapil Sibal while chairing the 28th Meeting of the National Foundation for  Teachers Welfare, here today. While the two insurance schemes will require  financial contribution by the centre, the states and the teachers, the group  housing scheme will be administered at the central level but will not require  financial contribution from the centre or the State Governments.

   The Health and Life Insurance  Schemes are proposed to cost premium wise, far less for teachers as compared to  individual schemes or even schemes run at the state level, due to the huge scope  of the scheme, thus the economics of scale driving individual premiums down. The  life insurance cover would guarantee a minimum of about Rs.5 lakh on retirement  and Rs.2 lakh on death during service.

            

   The health cover, limited to  hospitalization of the teacher, spouse, two children and parents, is being
worked on two options, either on a maximum cover of Rs. 1.25 lakh, which would  mean lesser premium and another option of cover of Rs. 3 lakh, which would mean  a higher premium. The group housing scheme is being envisaged to be centrally  administered through a portal, with construction to be done by NBCC, land to be  bought at institutional rates and group housing societies to be formed by
teachers. Thus, while there will be no cost to the Government, the teachers will  be able to get quality housing at lesser rates without much struggle or fear of  being cheated.

             

   Shri Sibal underlined that this  proposal is being formulated to show that the country looks after, cares for and  respects its teachers, and that he was putting it on the table for in principal  approval of the State Education Ministers, as a majority of the teachers are  state government employees. He clarified that he too was yet to seek the  approval of the Finance Ministry. The State Education Ministers also welcomed  the proposal and the immense benefit that will accrue to teachers, but said that  they would be able to communicate formal approval after discussing this with  their Finance Ministers

  Shri Sibal expressing dismay  that the meeting of this foundation was being held after many years, asked the  State Education Ministers to allow the ministry to consideri bringing in one  teacher from every state as representative of that state in the foundation. He  said that this would give the foundation the required energy as the teachers  would ensure that their own body becomes more vibrant.