The Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has asked insurance industry to give more focus to generate the required level of awareness about the benefits of insurance to rural people particularly those living in semi-urban and rural areas. They should make all efforts to take the necessary steps to ensure the reach of insurance to general masses.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) need further reforms on the back of the changes already announced by the insurance regulator. The finance minister also hinted at a resolution to the dispute between Sebi and Irda over Ulip regulation.

The next time you plan to buy an insurance policy through a corporate agent, please check whether the agent is legally authorised to sell the policy or not. This has become necessary because the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has said that 4,261 corporate agents out of 7,000 in the country were not authorised to sell policies from March 31, 2010.

Instances have come to the notice of the Authority that a large number of firms were floated by the same set of individuals under different or similar names to act as Corporate Agents. Some of corporate agents were observed to utilize the services of a large number of people not having requisite Licence/Certificate to solicit or procure the insurance business, and paid remuneration for procuring the insurance business.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has now proposed to streamline the promotion of insurance products through distance sales channels, such as the telephone and the internet. It has said it will issue rules in this regard and these will cover selling by ‘voice mode’, which includes telephone calls, ‘electronic mode’ (e-mails, internet and interactive television) and also the ‘physical mode’, though postal mail and newspapers.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has not cleared any unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) for nearly two months, following the recent changes to the norms and the regulatory tussle over the investment-cum-insurance products.

The Authority proposes to come out with the Guidelines on Distance Marketing and Sale of Insurance Products to streamline the manner of sale of insurance products and to address some of the issues which are specific to protection of interests of policyholders buying insurance over distance modes such as telephone and the internet.

In line with the nation’s approach to economic reforms, the IRDA has initiated reform measures around the principle of sustainable growth along with public accountability. Therefore protecting the interests of policyholders is the main mission of IRDA and the Authority’s efforts have been constantly directed towards this end.