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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

Rs 10 lakh insurance claim for railway passengers under Travel Insurance Scheme

Indian Railway

The insurance cover will cover all reserved classes (SL, 1AC, 2AC, 3AC) and trains except passenger trains & Sub-Urban trains for tickets booked online on the IRCTC website


Indian Railway has launched an optional “Travel Insurance Scheme” on a pilot basis for from September1, 2016 for the railway passengers who book e-ticket through official website of Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). 

Under the scheme reserved passengers who expire or are disabled permanently or partially due to train accident and untoward incidents during train journey will be entitled to sum assured. 

Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday informed that passenger would be entitled for Rs 10 lakh insurance claim in case of Death. For permanent total disability and permanent partial disability passenger will get Rs 10 Lakh and Rs 7.5 Lakh. Hospitalization Expenses for injury is Rs two lakh and Rs 10,000 for transportation of mortal remains. 

The objective behind the scheme is to maximize compensation to the passengers for the loss caused to them by train accident and untoward incidents. IRCTC which is a wholly owned undertaking of Ministry of Railways has entered into an agreement with three Insurance Companies through Limited Tender, namely Shriram General Insurance Company Ltd., ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd., and Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd. 

The insurance cover will cover all reserved classes (SL, 1AC, 2AC, 3AC) and trains except passenger trains & Sub-Urban trains for tickets booked online on the IRCTC website. Personal belongings are not covered under the said scheme.

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