99
b)
No term/life insurance so that the children may be taken care of in the likely event
of death of their parent
Tamil Nadu boasts of a good health insurance scheme whereby all BPL families are taken
care of for up to Rs.1 lakh per annum. These SHG members were not aware of such a
scheme. Hence, they neither could avail it nor benefit from it. They met doctors who
were mostly quacks in their village and without timely help their conditions got worse till
they passed away. Without doubt families need health insurance so that timely health is
possible.
In the case of Bhavani after her death her children never went to the private school where
she had enrolled them. If the savings could be directed towards a Life Insurance then the
family could have benefitted.
Conclusions
The above two cases point to the vulnerability of the poor and savings without insurance
is inadequate for the progress out of poverty. We recommend that a minimum of at least
two policy covers be mandated to these women namely Health Insurance and Life
Insurance so that the families for whom these women worked would not fall into a
quagmire of poverty.
