36 iGATE live ins
By Techgirl

Too much private information?  Economic Times has a report on the exact number of live in relationships in iGATE Patni who are claiming health insurance for live in partners.

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This September, Mumbai-based IT services firm iGATE Patni allowed its employees to include their live-in partners for health insurance benefits. Within a month, 36 employees filed such requests. A declaration by the employee and details of the partner were the only requirements to avail a health insurance cover of Rs 2.5 lakh each.

Only the spouse or immediate family were entitled to these benefits till recently. "We want a global image and would like to give employees more options," says S Kandula, HR head, iGATE Patni. The company employs 26,000 people.
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The article notes that Insurance brokerages have received many queries on cover for same gender partners as well. This is still not possible in India.  Probably when it is possible, iGATE Patni will reveal same sex relationship stats to the national media as well.

Techgoss note:  Techgirl is a senior Tech journalist who reports on the IT, KPO and KPO Sectors for a leading media house.  In her spare time, she dabbles in satire in her blog techgirltalk.blogspot.com.  Techgirl has been ejected from Twitter for satirizing an Indian Minister.  Her satire blog has links to her Times of India interview detailing her being kicked out of Twitter, and then being invited back.