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Pension scheme for non-resident Keralites launched By Sanu George, India Abroad News Service Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14 (IANS) Some 1.6 million non-resident Keralites (NRKs) would be able to subscribe to a pension scheme launched here Tuesday by Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony. The scheme, which will be jointly operated by the state government and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), has been named "Pravasi Swasraya" or a social security scheme for non-resident Keralites. "We hope to enrol close to 100,000 policy holders in the first three months," Minister for NRKs M.M.Hassan said at the launch. A variety of policies with terms ranging from a minimum of five years to a maximum of 15 years would be offered. The earliest that annuity would be paid out would be from age 41 or if the policyholder dies. However, if the holder dies before the policy has run for five years, the beneficiary named would get Rs. 100,000 in the case of natural death and Rs. 200,000 in case of accidental death. Some one million expatriate Keralites who have returned home as also people from the state who are settled in other parts of India would also be able to subscribe to the pension scheme, Hassan said. The scheme would be marketed by the newly launched ROOTS-NRK, a company floated by the Kerala government. "Talks have commenced with a leading state-owned bank to circulate details about the scheme among all approved NRK organisations in Middle East," said ROOTS-NRK chief executive Satish Nampoodiripad. Also on offer on payment of Rs. 30,000 will be a health insurance scheme that will be applicable to four immediate relatives of the policyholder. "All the profit generated by ROOTS-NRK in the sale of policies would be reinvested for more welfare schemes for NRK's," Hassan said. The government of former chief minister E.K. Nayanar had mooted the scheme but its launch had been delayed for a variety of reasons. Nayanar's government was voted out in assembly elections in May 2001. --Indo-Asian News Service
