The Bunkar Bima Yojana was introduced by the Government of India in December, 2003. Since 2005-06 this scheme has been revised and implemented with the title “Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Yojana”.
It is being implemented by the Ministry of Textiles.
Objective: To provide enhanced insurance cover to the handloom weavers in the case of natural as well as accidental death and in cases of total or partial disability.
Eligibility: All weavers, whether male or female, between the age group of 18 and 59 years.
The claim benefits are provided by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) directly into the bank account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The annual premium is Rs. 470 out of which Rs. 290 is paid by the central government.
The Government of India organizes Hastkala Sahyog Shivirs in handloom clusters across the country in association with State Governments and LIC for creating awareness about the scheme among the weavers.
The Ministry of Textiles also regularly organizes awareness programmes and camps through its Weavers’ Service Centres (WSCs) to facilitate enrolment under the insurance schemes.
WSCs provide the weavers with different facilities including banking, passport, etc.
