With climate change raising temperatures during heat waves, millions of Indians face a difficult choice: work in dangerous conditions or go hungry. But some women are now getting help from a program to make a third choice: stop working for at least a few hours. As soon as temperatures breached 43.6C in Ahmedabad, thousands of insured women were told that ICICI Lombard, an insurance company, would pay them a portion of their daily wages. The program uses parametric insurance, which pays out when a particular metric is hit, such as a daily high temperature. More than 46,000 women across 22 districts in India were paid Rs 2,84,00,000 in total over last month's heat waves. About 50,000 women are enrolled in the program. Insurance payout was Rs 750, enough to cover food and medication for a few days. The Self-Employed Women's Association labour union runs the insurance program. Its premium is paid for partly by the women enrolled in the program, with a charity covering the remaining portion. The pilot program launched last year and is set to run until April 2025.
