NEW DELHI: Insuring our train travel should be a norm, rather than an exception. While train journeys were earlier automatically insured free of cost whenever a ticket was booked via the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website, the recent change in norms has made the insurance optional for passengers.
The change, which came into effect on September 1, covers an insurance claim of up to Rs 10 lakh at merely 68 paise. All a passenger has to do is while booking train tickets on the IRCTC site, he/she will have to go to the option of ‘Travel Insurance’ and give consent. The insurance is available for all passengers of reserved seats, including sleeper, AC and chair car, and covers both death and injury. In case of death, the insurer is liable to pay Rs 10 lakh to the insured.
In case of permanent or partial disability, the insurer will pay a sum of Rs 7.5 lakh (this is over and above the compensation provided in times of crisis). In case of injury, the compensation stands at Rs 2lakh. For the new scheme, IRCTC has tied up with three companies - Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Limited, Shriram General Insurance Company and ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited. To claim compensation, a passenger will have to pursue the case with insurance companies and not with IRCTC. “It is highly advisable to take the 68 paise insurance. The compensation announced by state or central government in many cases is not enough to meet the loss suffered.
In many cases, claim settlement gets delayed. Insurance companies, on the other hand, are more professional,” says an executive of a general insurance firm. Another advantage for opting travel insurance is that it covers not only accidents but also other emergencies such as robbery. The travel insurance scheme is applicable for Indian citizens, but not for children who are below five years of age.