GOVT PROVIDES LIFE INSURANCE PROTECTION TO LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD LEADERS UNDER E-KASIH

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- Since early this year, the government has started providing life insurance protection against death or permanent disability to low-income families, especially household leaders.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the insurance protection was one of the initiatives under the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) to give financial aid to low income families in case of death of their household leaders.

"The insurance protection is given to household leaders, their spouses and children under three schemes, namely life insurance, accident insurance and death 'khairat' (benefits).

"All household leaders, who have registered with the e-Kasih system under the Prime Minister's Department up to January this year, are eligible to be protected under the schemes," she told reporters here Wednesday.

She said the government had set aside RM12 million (US$3.935
million)allocation to pay the annual insurance premium to Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad (Allianz) for 100,000 household leaders nationwide.

"So far, Allianz has paid compensation amounting to RM3 million following the death of about 200 household leaders," she said. (US$1=RM3.05)

Shahrizat said in case of death, the next of kin of a household leader would get compensation of RM10,000, but if the household leader sustained a permanent disability, he would get RM20,000, his spouse RM10,000, and his children
RM5,000.

Earlier, Shahrizat also presented the compensation money, amounting to RM295,000, to 19 low income families in Selangor, whose household leaders had died.
-- BERNAMA