BSNL announces insurance cover for its subscribers

Shimla, Feb 4 (UNI) State owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) today announced free insurance cover to all its post paid and landline subscribers as part of its social responsibility as a big public sector unit (PSU), its Chief General Manager (CGM) Anil Kaushal said.

The scheme, which was launched on Saturday, will provide an insurance of Rs 50,000 each to its post paid and fixed subscribers, he said while addressing a press conference here.

Mr Kaushal said under the scheme a person would be provided a sum of Rs 50,000 in case of permanent disability or death and the entire insurance cost would be borne by BSNL.

''The scheme will benefit about six lakh of its customers in the state following our agreement with insurance major Bajaj Alliance,'' he added.

Referring to the large theft of telephone cables, especially in the rural areas of the state, he said the PSU has taken up the matter with the state police to make theft of telephone cable a non-bailable offence.

He said the co-ordinated efforts with the state police in the past had helped in 30 per cent decline in cable thefts, but still the percentage was too high.

Keeping in view that the incidents of thefts were on the rise in the rural areas, Mr Kaushal said it has decided to focus on WLL service, which had risen to 74,856 on January 31, this year.

Replying to a question on providing cable connection on telephone lines, he said the PSU has already procured all appliances necessary to run ''triple service'' and it was only a question of time before the service was made available to the customers.

UNI XC AS HS BJR HT205