BENGALURU: Now, from the comfort of your home, you can take a new vehicle insurance policy or renew an existing one, through the Karnataka Postal Circle’s new doorstep delivery initiative.
A senior postal official told The New Indian Express, “We have already trained 3,000 postal delivery people across the state to carry out these insurance bookings. They will do it all from the micro ATMs (hand-hand devices), which will be equipped with many features “ Karnataka has over 10,000 postal delivery staff.
He added that the bookings are yet to pick up as the initiative is yet to be publicised. The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority has given it the green signal. This move is expected to benefit the rural areas enormously, the official felt. “Those in urban areas quickly renew their policies but studies have revealed that a good number of vehicle owners in rural areas often let their policies lapse beyond a period of time. Offering it at the doorstep will be a good incentive for them to renew it,” the official said.
Trial runs have been successfully carried out in a few districts. The government is stringent on insurance for vehicles now and heavy fines are being imposed on violators, the official added. At present, the postal department was facilitating vehicle insurance policies for two private firms, TATA AIG Insurance and Bajaj Allianz Insurance. “This will open up another revenue stream for the department,” he added.