The Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi Cabinet has approved the extension of the Chief Minister’s Advocates’ Welfare Scheme today. This programme provides group term insurance and group Medi-claim coverage to lawyers practising in Delhi, offering significant financial support in unforeseen circumstances such as death or illness. The group (term) insurance payments will be directed to the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), while payments for the medi-claim coverage will go to New India Assurance.
A meeting of the Delhi Cabinet was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal. The Chief Secretary and senior officers of the concerned departments were present in the meeting along with all the cabinet ministers. In the cabinet meeting, Law Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot proposed the continuation of the earlier policy with similar conditions to provide group term insurance and group medi-claim insurance respectively to advocates registered with the Bar Council of Delhi & named in the Electoral Roll of Delhi under the Chief Minister’s Advocates Welfare Scheme.
This decision was announced by Delhi Cabinet Ministers Ms. Atishi and Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj in a press conference today. The Chief Minister Advocates’ Welfare Scheme was introduced to provide social security to the practising advocates enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi (and also on the Delhi voters’ list) and their families. The scheme was first announced in December 2019 and has been providing group (life) insurance of Rs. 10 lakhs per advocate and group Medi-claim coverage for the advocate, their spouse, and two dependent children up to the age of 25 years for a family floater sum insured of Rs. 5 lakhs. The scheme was initially applicable for one year, and the Delhi Cabinet has been further extending it since.
Speaking about the extension of the scheme, Delhi Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “The Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, had promised to introduce this scheme before the elections, and he has fulfilled his promise to the advocates of Delhi. The Chief Minister Advocates’ Welfare Scheme has been a great success since its introduction. The scheme has already benefited many lawyers and their families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were able to get medical treatment at private hospitals and their expenses were covered by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government. The scheme has provided financial security to the advocates and their families during these difficult times. The extension of the scheme is a testament to our commitment to the welfare of the advocates practising in Delhi.”
The Kejriwal government has spent around Rs 100 crore on the welfare of advocates under the Delhi Chief Minister Advocates’ Welfare Scheme. This includes more than Rs 32 crore for life insurance and over Rs 66 crore for medical insurance. The scheme has benefited over 4,100 lawyers and their families since December 2020, with more than 200 families receiving a claim of Rs 10 lakh each under the group life insurance policy.
The extension of the Chief Minister Advocates’ Welfare Scheme will go a long way toward providing social security to the advocates practising in Delhi and their families. This scheme is a prime example of the government’s commitment to the welfare of the advocates and their families.
