The Indian consulate in Dubai has started offering a new insurance plan for Indian blue-collar workers. This plan will pay the family of the dead in the event of an accidental or natural death.
On Tuesday, the Consulate General of India in Dubai said that it helped bring together insurance companies and big companies hiring Indian blue-collar workers to come up with a plan that would cover workers’ deaths in the UAE, whether they died naturally or because of an accident.
The move was made because “it was noticed that most companies are insuring their employees under Health Insurance and Workers’ Compensation [for injuries and deaths at work].”
“However, there is no mandatory insurance coverage for the natural death of employees, and hence the legal heirs/dependents of the deceased do not receive any compensation in cases of natural death,” it said.
Both Gargash Insurance Services LLC and Orient Insurance PJSC decided to offer a Life Protection Plan (LPP) to blue-collar workers and other employees. This plan would cover death from any cause, including natural or accidental causes. From March 1, the LPP will be in place.
The companies and the insurance service providers worked out the plan’s terms and conditions, the press release said.
“The well-being of the Indian community remains our top priority,” Consul General Satish Sivan said at the launch of the LPP.
“Keeping in view the large number of natural death cases of workers in a year and to provide some financial benefits to the family of the deceased in the event of natural death, Consulate General of India, Dubai, encourages all Companies to consider subscription to the Life Protection Plan [LPP] that is available at a minimal premium of AED 37 per annum,” he said.
About 3.5 million Indians live in the UAE, and about 65% of them work as blue-collar workers. They are one of the largest groups of migrant labourers in the UAE.
The office recorded 1,750 deaths in 2022, with around 1,100 of them being personnel. 1,000 out of the 1,513 workers who died last year were killed on the job. The statement noted that natural causes account for over 90 per cent of deaths.
