To empower the economically weaker strata of the society, the central government has launched several schemes to benefit them in various spheres of life, including health, retirement, housing and insurance, among others. If you want to help your domestic staffers, you can inform and assist them in gaining access to these schemes. Here are a few that can be of use to them.

Launched in 2018, the health insurance scheme offers a free Rs.5 lakh cover per family for cashless secondary and tertiary care treatment to the poor segments. It is also available for senior citizens above 70 years of age irrespective of their income and socio-economic status provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

The social security scheme, launched by the government in 2015, assures each subscriber a guaranteed minimum pension ranging from Rs.1,000-5,000 per month, after the age of 60, till his/her death. After the demise of the subscriber, the spouse will receive the same pension till (s)he passes away. The scheme is open to all Indian citizens who have a savings bank account and are between 18 and 40 years.

The life insurance scheme, which offers a cover for death due to any reason, is a renewable one-year cover. It is offered by banks and post offices and administered through life insurance companies. It is open to individuals in the 18-50 age bracket if they are account holders of participating banks and post offices.

The accident insurance scheme provides an accidental death and disability cover at a nominal premium of Rs.20 a year, per member. It is open to individuals in the age group of 18-70 years and offers a Rs.2 lakh cover on death and Rs.1 lakh cover on disability. The premium is automatically deducted from the account holder’s bank or post office account on or before 1 June of each annual coverage period.

Launched in 2015, and implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the scheme offers financial assistance and interest subsidy on loans to eligible households belonging to the economically weaker sections (EWS) and lower and middle income groups (LIG/MIG) for building pucca houses.

The financial inclusion scheme aims to open zero balance bank accounts for poor citizens. The account holders are eligible for an accident insurance up to Rs.2 lakh and life insurance up to Rs.30,000 with RuPay debit card. The money for pension, subsidies or other government benefits can be transferred directly to this account.