A consumer commission has directed an insurance firm to pay a claim of Rs2 lakh under a government scheme to the wife of a farmer who died in a road accident in 2017. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, South Mumbai, in the order passed on April 18, said the company “failed in its responsibility” given by the government by rejecting the woman’s claim in an “arbitrary” manner. The complainant, wife of a farmer from Solapur, said her husband died in an accident on November 25, 2017, while returning home from a vegetable market in the area.
The farmer was severely injured after being hit by a state transport bus. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead, as per the complaint. After coming to know about their policy under the ‘Gopinath Munde Farmers Accidental Insurance Scheme’ introduced by the government, the woman submitted a claim to the authorities concerned.
However, the insurance company “deliberately”and in a mala fide manner did not sanction her genuine claim and this amounted to deficiency in service, the woman said in her complaint and approached the commission. The Oriental Insurance Company, chosen by the state government through a notification, said the deceased farmer was aged above 75 and hence ineligible to avail the claim.A farmer between 10 and 75 years of age is eligible to claim benefits under the scheme.
