Coimbatore : Continuing with the Group Life Insurance scheme that was implemented in the Coimbatore Forest Division last year for Anti-Poaching Watchers (APW), the Western Ghats Wildlife Conservation Trust (WGWCT) that offered the scheme has now included members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), this year.
Coimbatore : Continuing with the Group Life Insurance scheme that was implemented in the Coimbatore Forest Division last year for Anti-Poaching Watchers (APW), the Western Ghats Wildlife Conservation Trust (WGWCT) that offered the scheme has now included members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), this year.
The scheme will cover treatment for medical emergencies and even fatalities of 146 beneficiaries, including 136 APWs and 10 RRT staff. “The beneficiaries can claim up to Rs.1 lakh for medical emergencies under the scheme. In case of fatalities, the victim’s family will get Rs.1.5 lakhs,” said N Parthiban, President of WGWCT which would be paying the premium amount for the life insurance scheme.
Commenting about extending the insurance policy to RRT members, Parthiban said that the idea was thought of after the unfortunate death of RRT member R Venkatesh, who was killed by the tusker Vinayakan during an anti-depredation activity at Thadagam in October 2018. Venkatesh’s family was compensated up to Rs.8 lakhs by the State Government. “The scheme was initially introduced after two APWs from the Madukkarai Range were seriously injured by a wild elephant in 2017. The staff were initially helped through crowd funding as they had no insurance coverage despite being in a dangerous job,” he said.
He further added that such schemes were of utmost importance to forest staff who risk their lives chasing elephants, roaming inside thick forests and living inside huts in forests, all in the call of duty. The policy certificates were handed over to District Forest Officer D. Venkatesh on Monday.