Published in Mint on Apr 27 2015 Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” These lines belong to Charles Dickens, but are apt for all of us. Those who have suffered in the earthquake in Nepal and […]
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New rules benefit insurance nominees
Published in Mint on Apr 26 2015 As a financial product, a life insurance policy is the most meaningful for your dependants as it promises to protect them financially in the event of your death. Therefore, when you buy a life insurance policy, it is important to mention a nominee who will be entitled to […]
Immunization for Adults
“Prevention is always better than cure.” But still preventive healthcare is lacking in India. People do not go to doctors until and unless it reaches a critical point.According to the WHO, around two billion people worldwide are infected with the Hepatitis B virus and 600,000 die each year due to its consequences. In India, approximately […]
Immunization Schedule
Vaccines work best when they’re given at the right time as your child grows. Which vaccines does your child need to receive and when? Use this immunization schedule recommended by Indian Medical Association as a handy reference. Sl No. Age Disease Vaccination Remarks 1 AT BIRTH HEPATITIS B HEP B VACCINE -I 2 AT BIRTH […]
How the world looks at insurance
Published in Mint on 8 April 2015, Written by Kapil Mehta I am glad March is over. Financial year-end is hectic for insurance. People buy life and health insurance to claim their income tax benefits under sections 80C, 80D and other such. Surprisingly, companies also buy most of their insurance in this month. There is […]
Banks may sell for more than one insurer
Published in Mint on April 02 2015 Paving the way for an open architecture in insurance distribution, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), has issued draft guidelines on corporate agents. Corporate agents are entities such as banks that solicit insurance policies for insurers. Agents are individuals doing the same job. According to […]
Insurance gets a new distribution channel
Published in Mint on March 23 2015 The insurance industry is ready for a new distribution channel—insurance marketing firm, officially abbreviated as IMF. The channel will be allowed to distribute policies of two insurance firms in the same line of business, and will also be allowed to distribute other financial products as allowed by the […]
Insurance amendment bill: necessary but not sufficient
Published in Mint on Mar 11 2015, Written by Kapil Mehta If all goes as planned, the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which has been approved by the Lok Sabha, will become law over the next few weeks. The first version of this bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha seven long years ago. The most […]
Financial instruments likely to cost more
Published in Mint on Mar 02 2015 Apart from mobile phone and restaurant bills, cost of financial products, too, will go up marginally due to the increase in effective service tax rate from 12.36% to 14%. The Finance Bill states: “In the new service tax rate the education cess and secondary and higher education cess […]
Making insurance a development tool
Published in Mint on Feb 28 2015., Written by Kapil Mehta For insurance, the past few years have been gloomy. Between 2011 and 2014, life insurance funds reduced from Rs.2,10,100 crore to Rs.1,99,600 crore. Life funds as a proportion of household financial savings reduced from 20% to 17%. Penetration fell from 4.6% of gross domestic product […]