Christ University drives insurance awareness in Bengaluru's rural areas

Bengaluru: Poor health insurance penetration is often cited as a key reason why many Indians in rural areas are unable to access proper healthcare. Christ University has launched a campaign to help bridge this gap and facilitate access to health insurance for communities living in the hinterland of Bengaluru Urban district.

The Suvarna Karnataka Insurance Bruhat Abhinaya (SKIBA) campaign, part of Christ University’s Suraksha Chakra Initiative—a social inclusion and nation-building effort—was inaugurated on Friday at the university campus.

SKIBA aims to spread awareness among rural populations in Karnataka and actively support their enrolment in various government-backed health insurance schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

“Health insurance coverage is low, and there is a visible trust deficit. Through this campaign, we aim to provide insurance coverage in 84 Gram Panchayats across Bengaluru Urban district,” said Prof Jossy Peter, the university’s insurance coordinator, during the campaign launch.

The Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat and Canara Bank have partnered with the university to support the initiative.

The inauguration also served as a training session, with one representative from each of the 84 participating Gram Panchayats in attendance. These representatives were briefed on various health, life, and accidental death insurance schemes.

The PMJJBY is a government-sponsored life insurance scheme that offers a death benefit of up to ₹2 lakh for an annual premium of ₹436.

The launch event was attended by Fr Jose C C, Vice Chancellor of Christ University; Dr Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health; Suresh Nair, General Manager at IRDAI; and Bhaskara Chakravarthy, Convenor of SLBC for Karnataka.