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IRDA to allow tie-ups for micro-insurance products
Our Bureau
Mumbai , April 20
THE Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) will allow a life insurance company to tie up with a non-life insurance company to spin-off micro-insurance products.
It will also introduce regulations to promote micro-insurance and create guidelines that stipulate the insurance cover in unit-linked insurance mroducts (ULIPs).
Mr T.K. Banerjee, member-life insurance, IRDA, expressed concern about low insurance cover in rural areas. Talking at a seminar here, he said: "We are in the process of bringing out a regulation that will provide an infrastructure within which micro-insurance can be developed in a proper manner. For such products the regulator will allow a tie up between a life and a non-life insurance company so that a composite product is available to the rural poor through a single window."
For this, a new band of micro-insurance agents will be introduced wherein they will undergo 25 hours of training as opposed to the mandatory 100 hours as is the norm. They will, however, be allowed to work only in the area of micro- insurance. These regulations will be introduced in the next two to three months.
Mr Banerjee said there are few insurance covers that are affordable to the poor and new insurance companies have opened very few branches that cater to them. "The regulator at present is not insisting on a quota on rural branches, but if this continues it will have to introduce a system for opening of branches, so that the spread over the entire geographical area is ensured," he said.
IRDA will be introducing strict guidelines on ULIPs about a part of the corpus going towards insurance cover. Although some insurance companies have begun complying with these norms, those who are not will have to phase out their products over a period of time. These are companies that deploy a major portion of the corpus in the capital market. However, this will not apply to ULIPs that fall under pension plans.
It is expected that these guidelines will be announced in the next two to three weeks.
In the light of the litigations against insurance companies with respect to group insurance, he said IRDA would introduce guidelines as to how a group (for group insurance) should be defined. There were several discrepancies in the way a group was interpreted, he said.
Mr Banerjee said the health insurance working group of IRDA would come out with recommendations about grading of hospitals and the provision of data in a post-tariff regime. The provision of a database is something that could be taken up by the Tariff Advisory Council in a post-tariff situation, he said.
Offline inspection conducted by IRDA will be outsourced to chartered accountants. Per capita insurance premium has gone up from Rs 300 in 2000 to Rs 750 in 2004 ever since the sector was opened up, Mr Banerjee said.
Irda chairman J Harinarayan felt the need for a change in the mind-set of insurance companies with respect to the micro-insurance products, which have to be focused on the risks at the micro level than on the lower premiums.
Speaking at the product launch meeting of Max New York Life here on Tuesday, Harinarayan said that the insurance companies should focus more on the risk cover than the lower premium for micro insurance. For instance, he said, the farmer has to face variety of risks from sowing to harvesting and if the insurance product offers proper cover at each of the risks would benefit the farmers. “These are the issues of designing and concern towards the human beings," he pointed out.
Responding to a question, the Irda chairman said that there is no need for altering any of the regulations as there are no complaints. The micro insurance is in its nascent stages and unless it picks up volumes, it would be improper to comment on its performance, he opined.
Earlier, Max New York Life chairman, Analjit Singh explained the product christened ‘Max Vijay’, a fixed premium policy at an affordable premium with flexible payment options.
The 10-year tenure policy is available with three premium payment options with a minimum enrollment premium of Rs 1,000, he said.
Max New York Life to expand capital base
Max New York Life chairman Analjit Singh revealed that the company is expected to expand its capital base to Rs 3,600 crore by March 2011, as against the present paid-up capital of Rs 1,400 crore. The fresh capital will be invested in the ratio of 74:26 between Max India and New York Life, he said. The company also plans to expand its branch net up by 250 offices a year taking to 850 locations by 2010.