**Summary:**
The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) is a mandatory insurance scheme for Indian workers with Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports going to ECR countries. Revised in August 2017, it is also available to Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR) passport holders going abroad for employment. The scheme provides an insurance cover of INR 10 Lakhs in case of accidental death or permanent disability, alongside other benefits, at a nominal premium of INR 275 for two years or INR 375 for three years validity. From 2006-07 to June 2025, over 83 lakh policies have been issued. During this period, 3,302 claims were received, and 2,210 were settled. Claim settlement data for the last five years is as follows: 2020-21 (38 settled out of 72 received), 2021-22 (54 settled out of 89 received), 2022-23 (26 settled out of 107 received), 2023-24 (22 settled out of 73 received), and 2024-25 (24 settled out of 133 received), and 2025-2026 (6 settled out of 38 received until June 2025). The PBBY scheme is exclusively for Indian emigrant workers and does not extend to Indian citizens pursuing education abroad. The Ministry of External Affairs administers the PBBY.
Key Entities Referenced
Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana: A mandatory insurance scheme for Indian workers holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) category passports going to ECR countries. Also available to ECNR passport holders going for employment abroad.
ECR countries: Emigration Check Required countries - countries where Indian citizens with ECR passports require emigration clearance to work.
Adv. Adoor Prakash: The Member of Parliament who raised the unstarred question regarding Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana in Lok Sabha.
Kirti Vardhan Singh: The Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs who answered the question regarding Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana in Lok Sabha.
Emigration Check Required: A requirement for certain Indian passport holders traveling to specific countries for employment.
ECNR: Emigration Check Not Required passport holders
INR 10 Lakhs: The insurance cover provided by Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana in case of accidental death or permanent disability.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question regarding Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana was raised.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 3271
ANSWERED ON - 08/08/2025
PRAVASI BHARATIYA BIMA YOJNA
3271. ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the amount of money disbursed to emigrant workers in ECR
countries or their families under the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana;
and
(b) whether the Government has any plan to expand this scheme to
include Indian citizens pursuing education in ECR countries, if so,
the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) & (b) The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) is a mandatory
insurance scheme for all Indian workers holding Emigration Check
Required (ECR) category passports going to ECR countries. Revised
1PBBY effective from 1 August 2017 is available to both ECR and
ECNR passport holders going for employment abroad. The scheme
provides an insurance cover of INR 10 Lakhs in case of accidental
death or permanent disability and other benefits at a nominal
insurance premium of INR 275/- for two years or INR 375/- for three
years validity.
As per data available, more than 83 lakh policies have been issued
between 2006-07 and June 2025. During this period 3,302 claims
were received and 2,210 were settled. Details of the claims settled
in the last 5 years are available at Annexure – A. The PBBY scheme
is only for Indian emigrant workers and not for those pursuing
education abroad.
2Annexure-A
Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana
Years No. of Policies No. of Claims No. of Claims
issued received Settled
2020-21 40628 72 38
2021-22 240178 89 54
2022-23 422650 107 26
2023-24 300233 73 22
2024-25 514525 133 24
2025-26 125033 38 6
(Upto June
2025)
Total since 8388143 3302 2210
2006-07
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