Oppn criticises govt for ICICI-Lombard as HI

Aizawl, Mar 15: Opposition Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) criticised Mizoram government for selecting ICICI-Lombard as health insurer for its employees, but government believes it is in the best interest of the employees.

Raising the issue in the state assembly, ZNP MLA Andrew Lalherliana asked whether the government had floated a tender when it entered into an agreement with the company and what were its criteria for selection.

Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who looks after the finance portfolio, denied having floated tenders, saying that it would have violated the Insurance Regulatory Development Agency's rules that entail insurance companies to sell through their policies, not through sealed tenders.

He informed that the government had received a number of insurance offers from different companies but ICICI-Lombard and Bajaj Allianz were shorlisted. Although the latter offers higher reimbursements for hospital charges, ICICI-Lombard was selected, as it did not demand any contribution from the employees, he stated.

''We used to spend nearly Rs 35 - 40 crore to foot the hospital bills of our employees while ICICI-Lombard asks for Rs 17 crore a year without demanding any deposit from the employees,'' the chief minister said, adding that the deciding factor here was that the employees need not pay anything and the government saves nearly half of its expenditure on healthcare for the employees.

UNI