Introduced on March 1, 2024, an insurance program for Indian workers in the UAE offers families compensation up to Dh75,000 in case of the worker's death from accidents or natural causes. The Indian Consulate in Dubai announced on Tuesday that over 5,500 workers have already benefited from this new welfare initiative.
Named the Life Protection Plan (LPP), this policy was created to fill a gap in employment benefits for the 2.27 million blue-collar workers in the UAE. While many employers provide health insurance and compensation for work-related injuries and deaths, there was previously no mandatory coverage for natural deaths. This left families facing financial challenges, including repatriation costs, if the main breadwinner died.
To address this, the Indian Consulate facilitated a meeting between major UAE companies employing blue-collar workers and two insurance providers. Recently, these providers, Extra Co Group of Companies and Gargash Insurance, completed formalities at the Consulate for workers to join the scheme. However, this plan must be chosen by employers or companies for their employees and is not currently available for individual subscribers.
What does the plan include? The Life Protection Plan offers comprehensive coverage worldwide for employees with a UAE employment visa. It covers death from any cause, whether natural or accidental, and includes coverage for permanent total or partial disability due to an accident. Additionally, the plan covers repatriation expenses up to Dh12,000 per person in the event of death. The coverage is available for individuals aged 18 to 70 years.
How much does the plan cost? Dh72 per year for Dh75,000 compensation, Dh50 per year for Dh50,000 compensation, and Dh37 per year for Dh35,000 compensation. Notably, around 3.5 million Indians live in the UAE, with about 65 percent employed in blue-collar jobs, according to the Indian Consulate. In 2022, the mission reported 1,750 deaths in Dubai, with 1,100 being workers. A similar pattern was observed in 2023, with 1,000 worker deaths out of a total of 1,513. Over 90 percent of these deaths were due to natural causes.
