"Suraksha" Insurance Resumed on President’s Directive

COLOMBO (News 1st) - President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed the resumption of the "Suraksha" student insurance program, which was temporarily suspended due to economic challenges.

Starting from the first week of June, all school students across the island will once again be able to benefit from this insurance scheme.

The Cabinet recently approved a Joint Cabinet Memorandum presented by President Wickremesinghe, who also serves as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policy, alongside the Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha.

"Suraksha" student insurance was originally implemented in 2017 by the then Prime Minister, based on a concept by President Wickremesinghe.

The program aims to ensure continuous education for students affected by health issues and to increase school attendance by safeguarding student safety. It ran until December 1, 2022, but had to be temporarily halted due to economic constraints.

With the current economic recovery, President Wickremesinghe has allocated Rs. 2 billion in the 2024 budget to revive the "Suraksha" student insurance program.

The goal is to strengthen the program to develop the human resources necessary for a developed Sri Lanka by 2048.

The insurance will cover health and accident insurance for approximately 4.5 million students aged 5 to 21 in government, government-approved private, and private schools (grades one to 13), as well as students aged 4 to 21 in special schools.

Additionally, the program proposes life insurance benefits for students from low-income families, defined as those earning less than Rs. 180,000 annually, which includes coverage for the death of a parent.