Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana - A decade of insurance inclusion

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) marks a significant milestone in India's journey toward universal social security. Launched in May 2015 and designed as an affordable and accessible personal accident insurance scheme, PMSBY targeted economically vulnerable citizens, particularly those in rural and unorganised sectors. With a nominal annual premium of ₹20, the scheme offers ₹2 lakh insurance coverage for accidental death or full disability, and ₹1 lakh for partial disability. Over the past decade, PMSBY has evolved from a government initiative to a symbol of inclusive insurance outreach.
PMSBY was conceived as part of the government's broader strategy to strengthen the social security framework in India. It followed the successful rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), which brought millions of underbanked Indians into the formal banking system. The linkage between Jan Dhan accounts and PMSBY facilitated seamless enrolment through auto-debit, making it especially easy for low-income individuals to subscribe with ease. Together, these schemes have become pillars of India's insurance inclusion strategy, ensuring that the economically weaker sections are not left vulnerable in times of need.
In the last ten years, the scheme has crossed 44 crore enrolments and has settled over 135,000 claims, disbursing more than ₹2,700 crore in FY 2024–25 alone. These figures highlight the scale and impact of the initiative in embedding insurance awareness across the nation.
The National Insurance Company (NIC) has played a key role in implementing this scheme. Covering over 170.4 million individuals across states which is nearly 38 per cent of the total enrolment, NIC has worked with commitment and compassion to ensure the scheme reaches its intended beneficiaries. Over the decade, NIC has honoured nearly 55,000 claims, i.e. 40 per cent of the total claims, amounting to ₹1,000 crore, reinforcing its dedication to serving the underprivileged with empathy and efficiency.
Through PMSBY, financial institutions have had the opportunity to directly engage with the lives of those often left out of mainstream insurance services. These interactions have not only deepened their resolve to support the mission of insurance inclusion but have also provided meaningful insight into the hardships and resilience of India's poor.
The true measure of PMSBY's success lies in the stories of its beneficiaries, the stories of resilience in face of loss. Mrs. Meena Singh, a homemaker from Jehanabad, Bihar, lost her husband in a tragic road accident. Though devastated, the family received ₹2 lakh under PMSBY, which helped her continue her children's education. Her late husband had enrolled in PMSBY through his bank, with just ₹20 being auto-debited annually. Similarly, in Karnataka, Rani Kumari, a teenager injured in a bike accident, received timely medical treatment funded by the claim settlement of her deceased brother's policy. The ₹2 lakh payout provided critical financial relief for her family. Further East, in Guwahati, Ms. Riya Das, a young widow, received ₹2 lakh within seven days of submitting documents after her husband's accidental drowning.
These touching stories, though only a few among thousands, reflect how PMSBY has brought dignity and hope to families during times of intense grief and financial distress. For many, it has been the only form of insurance they could afford — turning ₹20 into life-saving support.
However, the journey of PMSBY has not been without its share of challenges. Initially, the scheme faced issues related to geographical remoteness, low awareness in rural areas, administrative hurdles in claim processing and difficulty in collecting valid documents to name a few. However, persistent efforts, digital outreach, and supportive government frameworks have addressed many of these concerns. The launch of the Jan Suraksha Portal has improved transparency and ease of enrolment and claims, especially for rural populations. Integration with banking and digital platforms has further streamlined operations and minimised delays.
As India looks ahead to Viksit Bharat @2047, aiming for inclusive development, schemes like PMSBY are foundational to achieving 'Insurance for All.' To deepen its impact further, future measures could include Enhancing the coverage from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh to reflect expanded benefits while remaining affordable, launching awareness campaigns at the block and panchayat levels, strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms and digital claim tracking. These steps will ensure the scheme remains sustainable and responsive to evolving needs, especially amid rising accident-related risks and medical costs.
Over the past decade, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana has not only promoted insurance literacy but also saved families from financial ruin in the aftermath of tragedies. The collaborative effort of the government, banks, insurers, and the resilience of the beneficiaries themselves has made PMSBY a model for social insurance schemes worldwide.
As we move towards a more secure and equitable India, the journey of PMSBY stands as a testament to the power of simple, well-designed policies in transforming lives. From ₹20 premiums to ₹2 lakh payouts, the scheme continues to demonstrate that even the smallest contributions can build a future of security, trust, and dignity for all.

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Simultaneously, efforts were also made to restrict the proliferation of nuclear technology. • In 1953, the US government launched the Atoms for Peace initiative under President Dwight D Eisenhower, laying the groundwork for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). • The treaty defines a nuclear state as one 'which has manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device prior to 1 January 1967.' These are the US, the UK, France, the Soviet Union (later Russia) and China. • Today, 191 states have joined the treaty. India carried out its first nuclear tests in 1974 but has not signed it, and instead reiterated the principle of universality in preventing nuclear proliferation. Given the treaty's exceptions for the permanent five members of the UN Security Council, and the arbitrary date chosen as the cut-off point to accommodate the P5 members, it has been criticised as discriminatory. • Pakistan is also not a signatory. Israel, which is reported to possess nuclear weapons but has never confirmed it officially, has not signed it. North Korea signed it in 1985 but announced its withdrawal in 2003 after it was found to have built an enrichment program. It also expelled IAEA inspectors. • One of the treaty's 11 articles mentions the procedure for leaving it. Article 10 speaks of withdrawal: 'Each Party shall in exercising its national sovereignty have the right to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of this Treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country.' • A notice of withdrawal must be given to other parties and the UNSC three months in advance, and 'such notice shall include a statement of the extraordinary events it regards as having jeopardized its supreme interests.' • Iran has been a signatory since 1970 – nine years before the Islamic Revolution saw the formation of a theocratic state. 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It plays a central role in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons through the independent verification of States' compliance with nuclear non-proliferation undertakings. • In 2014, India ratified the Additional Protocol (AP), which granted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) greater access to India's civil nuclear programme. India has signed an item-specific safeguards agreement under the IAEA along with Pakistan and Israel. They are nuclear-power states that are not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Knowledge Nugget | International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog: A must-know for UPSC exam 📍What you must know about Uranium enrichment for UPSC exam UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (4) In the Indian context, what is the implication of ratifying the 'Additional Protocol' with the 'International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'? 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The third phase was launched in 2019. • On September 11, 2024, the Central government approved phase IV to provide all-weather road connectivity to 25,000 unconnected habitations of population size 500+ in plains, 250+ in northeastern and hill states/UTs, special category areas and 100+ in LWE-affected areas, as per Census 2011. • Starting as a totally Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the funding pattern was modified from 2015-16 to 60:40 between the Centre and states (except for northeastern and Himalayan states). • The National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA), which comes under the MoRD and provides technical support for implementing the PMGSY, has written to all states about QR codes. The aim is to get public feedback about the quality and maintenance of roads. • Under the PMGSY, all roads after the completion of construction are maintained by the contractor for five years. This is done using a mobile-cum-web-based e-MARG (electronic Maintenance of Rural Roads) system. It is an e-governance solution for managing and monitoring rural road maintenance. • To enable easy sharing of feedback, a utility has been created in eMARG. A QR code can be generated for each road, to be displayed on the maintenance information display board on the road. The board can contain instructions for registering feedback in English and the local language. • The citizens' feedback photos will be integrated with the relevant Routine Inspection. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will be employed to analyse these photographs to advise on Performance Evaluation (PE) marks. All programs implementing units, while giving PE marks, shall be responsible for checking these photos. 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It has now started working on an evacuation plan from Israel as well. • India has faced a diplomatic challenge post Operation Sindoor. Armenia and Turkmenistan are some of Iran's neighbouring countries that Delhi is in touch with. India doesn't have very good ties with some of the other countries bordering Iran – Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Both Ankara and Baku were seen taking sides with Islamabad. • Besides Armenia, Turkmenistan and Iraq are the other neighbouring countries of Iran with whom India has good ties; it doesn't have formal diplomatic ties with Afghanistan. It also has the Persian Gulf route, from where it can evacuate Indians through ships or via Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Do You Know: Understanding Pakistan's balancing act on Iran • Islamabad has extended strong rhetorical support to Tehran amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, calling Israel's actions a 'violation of all rules of civilised behaviour…and international humanitarian law'. Yet it has stopped short of making any tangible military commitments to Iran. • This delicate, deliberate balancing act is a product of Pakistan's complicated relationship with Iran as well as larger geopolitical considerations, especially regarding its relationship with the US and anxieties about India. • Iran was the first country to recognise Pakistan in 1947, and the Shah's regime extended military and diplomatic assistance to Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars. But beyond the oft-emphasised veneer of Islamic brotherhood lie a number of friction points, which have surfaced frequently in the years after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. • The 900-km Iran-Pakistan border runs through the Baloch heartland, with the Pak province of Balochistan on one side and the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan on the other. Each side accuses the other of providing safe haven to separatist groups. • Pakistan's relationship with Saudi Arabia, which funds and sustains several networks of Sunni madrasas in the country, has often come at the expense of its potential ties with Iran. • Iran's post-Revolution rupture with the US and Pakistan's continuing reliance on American support has further complicated the Islamabad-Tehran relationship. This is at the heart of Islamabad's current balancing act. • Iran has been a key element in India's strategy to circumvent Pakistan in regional connectivity projects. India's investment and operation of the deep-sea port in Chabahar, and the International North South Trade Corridor through Iran, potentially threaten to undermine the importance of Pakistan's own deep sea port at Gwadar (merely 70 km away on the same coast). • Pakistan's view of Israeli action against Iranian nuclear sites might also be coloured by its own experience during Op Sindoor, and the possibility of India hitting Pakistan's nuclear storage sites during a future conflict. For Pakistan, Israel's actions being potentially normalised by the international community might set a precedent for India to act similarly in the future. 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Why did the government want to adopt EVs? • What are the challenges of EV adoption in India? • What are the challenges in battery technology for EVs? • Hybrids vs EVs— what is it? • Know about the technology behind EVs Key Takeaways: • The New York-headquartered think tank estimates that India's electric car manufacturing capacity will outstrip domestic demand by 1.1–2.1 million units over the next five years. However, tapping export markets will require 'driving down costs' to compete with China, it said. • By 2030, Rhodium projects India's electric car demand to reach between 0.4–1.4 million units, up from 0.1 million in 2024. With total car sales expected to hit 6 million, as per industry estimates, this implies an electric vehicle (EV) penetration rate of 7–23 per cent in four-wheelers. • India's anticipated production capacity of 2.5 million will be far behind China's 29 million, EU's 9 million, and 6 million in the US. • Comparing electric car sales growth, the report noted that EV penetration in India reached just 2 per cent in 2024, while in Vietnam it jumped from 3 per cent in 2022 to 17 per cent in 2024 — driven largely by domestic automaker VinFast. • On the battery front, the report observed India 'has rapidly become a standout player', and shows 'meaningful activity in both cells and modules'. 'India is set to become the largest module producer outside China, the US, and Europe, with significant capacity already under construction and announced,' it said. 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An EV includes both a vehicle that can only be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery (EV) and a vehicle that can be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery and by an internal combustion engine (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle). • Presently, road transport contributes 12% of CO2 emissions related to energy in India and plays a significant role in urban air pollution, as reported by the IEA. • In response to these environmental challenges, Indian automotive manufacturers are making significant investments in electrification, along with the Government of India's subsidy schemes to boost electric vehicle (EV) adoption. • As the Indian government, both at the central and state levels has implemented various schemes to promote electric vehicle (EV) adoption: PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-Drive), e-AMRIT, and States providing EV Subsidy. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Electric Vehicles (EV) Schemes across India 2024: All you need to know 📍Hybrids vs EVs: Honda's pivot to hybrids is now part of a growing trend Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (6) In the context of electric vehicle batteries, consider the following elements: (2025) I. Cobalt II. Graphite III. Lithium IV. Nickel How many of the above usually make up battery cathodes? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All the four (7) Consider the following types of vehicles: (2025) 1. Full battery electric vehicles 2. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles III. Fuel cell electric hybrid vehicles How many of the above are considered as alternative powertrain vehicles? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All the three (d) None (Please note: The official answer key of Prelims 2025 has not been provided by UPSC yet.) Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: How is efficient and affordable urban mass transport key to the rapid economic development in India? (2019) ALSO IN NEWS Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Khushboo Kumari is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She has done her graduation and post-graduation in History from the University of Delhi. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. She holds experience in UPSC-related content development. You can contact her via email: ... Read More

NDTV

3 hours ago

• NDTV

Revolt Motors Rolls Out 50,000 Electric Motorcycles From Manesar Plant

Revolt Motors has achieved a production milestone with the rollout of 50,000 electric motorcycles from its manufacturing plant in Manesar, Haryana. The milestone unit to roll out from the plant is an RV1 plus sporting Titan Red Silver colour. Additionally, the manufacturer plans on increasing the production capacity of the plant to 3 lakh electric motorcycles by the end of 2026. At present, Revolt's Manesar facility has an annual production capacity of 180,000 units. The intended expansion of capacity aims to meet the increasing demand for electric motorcycles and to bolster the company's growth strategy both domestically and internationally. Revolt Motors has more than 200 dealerships throughout India and has recently ventured into Nepal and Sri Lanka. To facilitate its manufacturing expansion, the company also plans to grow its dealership network to 400 locations, thereby enhancing its presence across India and key international markets in South Asia and the Middle East. The current range of products offered by the company includes models such as the RV400, RV1+, and RV BlazeX, all featuring lithium-ion batteries, various riding modes, regenerative braking, and road-ready suspensions designed for Indian terrain. On the occasion, Anjali Rattan, Chairperson of RattanIndia Enterprises, said: "This 50,000th motorcycle carries more than a chassis number - it carries the aspirations of lakhs of Indians who believe in a cleaner, more progressive future. It symbolizes every customer who made the shift to electric. It reflects every team member who worked tirelessly on the assembly line, and every kilometre that challenged convention. At Revolt, we are not just manufacturing bikes; we are building momentum for a generational change. This moment reaffirms our belief that an electric tomorrow is not just coming - it is already here and being led from India."