This gram panchayat near Bengaluru ensures insurance for all, a first in Karnataka: Report

Marasur, a small village on Bengaluru’s outskirts, is setting a new benchmark in social security.

According to a Times of India report, in a first for Karnataka, every eligible resident here is now covered under a life insurance scheme, ensuring financial security for families in times of crisis.

Located about 8 km from Chandapura on the Bengaluru-Hosur highway, Marasur falls under a gram panchayat (GP) that oversees eight villages—Marasur, Naganayakanahalli, Madivala, Bandapura, Agrahara, Shettihalli, Adesonatti, and Haleooru. Of the panchayat’s 15,531 residents, 9,319 people aged between 18 and 70 are eligible for life insurance.

To make universal insurance a reality, the GP collaborated with Christ University to survey existing coverage. The study revealed that while 80 per cent of residents had some form of insurance, 1,877 people remained uninsured.

To bridge this gap, the panchayat launched a special drive, educating residents and assisting them in enrolling in the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. Their efforts paid off—Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat CEO Latha Kumari KS recently declared Marasur the first fully insured gram panchayat in Karnataka.

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Grassroots initiative

The initiative was inspired by 'Anthimanamana,' a local scheme through which the panchayat provided ₹10,000 as financial aid to families for funeral expenses.

According to a Times of India report, Marasur Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) Murali D stated that witnessing the financial hardships of families who lost a breadwinner underscored the need for universal insurance coverage.

Gram Panchayat president Ramesh Reddy C emphasized the broader significance of the initiative, saying that the goal was to ensure government schemes effectively reached the grassroots. With this effort, every family in the panchayat now has the security of insurance, he added.

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