Govt Plans to Appoint 2 Lakh Bima Sakhis in 3 Years: Nirmala Sitharaman
The government plans to appoint 2 lakh Bima Sakhis, or insurance agents, over the next three years, starting with 25,000 appointments this year, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced at an event in Haryana.
To apply, candidates must provide proof of age and address, along with educational qualification certificates.
Delivering her address ahead of the launch of the ambitious ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sitharaman stated that the Central government, under Modi's leadership, “is implementing several schemes which are aimed at empowering women”.
The ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ initiative by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) aims to empower women aged 18-70 years who have completed Class 10. This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to fostering gender equality and empowering women across various sectors.
Each woman insurance agent volunteer will receive a stipend of Rs 7,000 per month in the first year, Rs 6,000 per month in the second year, and Rs 5,000 per month in the third year, FM Sitharaman said.
“Once the training is successfully completed, participants will become LIC agents, helping bridge the gap in insurance penetration in rural and semi-urban areas”, she added.
Additionally, graduates of the Bima Sakhi programme may qualify for development officer roles within LIC, offering them opportunities to advance their careers in the insurance sector.
FM Sitharaman noted that in this year’s Budget, Rs 3.3 lakh crore has been earmarked for women-related schemes in the country. She emphasized that the Prime Minister has always believed that women should not just be participants in the development process; they should become its leaders.
Highlighting achievements in various women-related schemes, the Finance Minister mentioned that out of the 54 crore Jan Dhan accounts opened in the country, 55 per cent belong to women, and out of the 50 crore Mudra loans disbursed, 70 per cent have been given to women.
She also stated that a target has been set to make 3 crore women ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in the country, with over 1.15 crore women already achieving this status.
FM Sitharaman praised Haryana for its performance in implementing this scheme. “From 2017-18 to 2023, the number of women agents has increased significantly. In 2017, there were six lakh women agents, and this number has grown to 7.45 lakh. However, among every 100 LIC agents, only 28 are women, indicating that out of 2,800 agents, only 28 are women. This underscores the importance of the ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’, which Prime Minister Modi is launching today”, she said.
“I believe this initiative, also known as the Women Career Agent Program, is a significant step toward women’s empowerment. As part of this programme, 25,000 women will be appointed as ‘Bima Sakhi’ by PM Modi”, the Finance Minister concluded.
