War Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Act, 1943

The War Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Act, 1943 is a World War II-era law that required employers to compensate workers who suffered "war injuries" (as defined in the separate War Injuries Ordinance, 1941) and to insure themselves against that liability. Section 3 makes an employer responsible for paying this compensation, though if the employer had taken out the required insurance policy and kept up premium payments, the Federal Government would instead assume and discharge that liability on the employer's behalf.

Section 5 sets out the compensation amounts, calculated by reference to the ordinary Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 but adjusted with fixed historic Rupee figures: for an adult killed by a war injury, compensation was the amount payable under the 1923 Act reduced by seven hundred and twenty rupees; for a minor, a flat two hundred rupees; for permanent total disablement of an adult, the 1923 Act amount reduced by one thousand and eight rupees. Permanent partial disablement was compensated as a percentage of the total-disablement amount, set out in the First Schedule's table of specific injuries -- for example, loss of two or more limbs or very severe facial disfigurement rated 100%, loss of an arm at or above the elbow rated 90%, and lesser injuries rated proportionally down to 10%.

Section 9 made insurance against this liability compulsory for covered employers, Section 10 barred certain other insurers from writing this type of business, and Section 11 set up a dedicated War Injuries Compensation Insurance Fund to hold the money. Sections 12-15 dealt with how principals and contractors shared liability, how the government could obtain information from employers, how unpaid premiums were recovered, and how compensation was still paid to a worker even if their employer had failed to insure them. Section 19 let the Federal Government exempt particular employers from the Act's requirements, and Section 20 gave it power to make further rules.

This is an old, narrow wartime law from 1943 that is now largely of historical interest -- the compensation figures in Section 5 (Rs 720, Rs 200, Rs 1008) and the entire disability-percentage schedule reflect 1940s currency values and are not remotely representative of any current compensation levels. Readers should treat this Act as a historical record rather than a source for present-day figures, and should look to more recent labour or social-security legislation for any relevant current entitlements.