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Social Security

• ‘Security that society furnishes through appropriate organization, against certain risks to which its members are exposed’
• These risks are mostly
– Sickness, Invalidity, Maternity, Old age and Death
• ‘Social insurance’ and ‘social assistance’ are also types social security:
Social insurance:
• It is any government-sponsored program with the following four characteristics:
1. The benefits, eligibility requirements and other aspects of the program are defined by statute;
2. explicit provision is made to account for the income and expenses (often through a trust fund);
3. it is funded mainly by premiums paid by participants and
4. The program serves a defined population, and participation is either compulsory or so heavily subsidized that most eligible individuals choose to participate.
(it is a Scheme of maintaining fund from the contributions made by the employees and employer, with or without a subsidy from the Government. In other words, social insurance can be defined as a device to provide benefits as of right for persons of small earnings)
Social assistance:
(Social assistance refers to the assistance rendered by the Government to the needy persons without asking them to make contributions to be entitled to get such assistance)
– The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Government of India that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions.
– Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
– Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
– Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)
– National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
• In the event of death of a bread-winner in a household, the bereaved family will receive lump sum assistance .The bread-winner should have been between 18–60 years of age..

– Annapurna Scheme
• This scheme aims to provide food security to meet the requirement of those senior citizens who, though eligible, have remained uncovered under the IGNOAPS. Under the Scheme, 10 kg of free rice is provided every month to each beneficiary.

Social Security for various Sections of the Society in India
For industrial workers :
1. Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923
2. Central Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
3. Employees State Insurance Act, 1948
4. The Family Pension Scheme, 1971
For civil servants:
1. Pension, gratuity, provident fund and family pension schemes
2. CGHS – for comprehensive medical care o all categories of Central Government Employees
For general public
1. Various insurance schemes e.g. various LIC schemes
2. Public provident fund
3. ESI schemes
4. National Pension Scheme (NPS)Etc.

References:
• Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine; 23rd ed.
• National Pension System Trust: available at: https://enps.nsdl.com/eNPS/NationalPensionSystem.html, accessed on 12th April 2017
• Margaret E. Lynch, Editor, Health Insurance Terminology, Health Insurance Association of America, 1992, ISBN 1-879143-13-5.

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