Any insurance except life insurance falls under the purview of General Insurance. Lets try to understand what actually is general insurance?
In this era of high uncertainty and spiralling inflation rate, the dangers posed to our prized possessions has reached new zeniths. Insurance therefore is becoming a necessity more than just a utility. Safeguarding your belongings accumulated through years of hard work is the right thing to do and this is where different type of insurance service provider plays a pivotal role.
The concept of taking money from Peter to pay Paul has a long precedent. In the case of general insurance, the money is taken from the owners who want to insure their stuff and then given to that participant who has suffered a loss due to any incident specifically covered by the insurance policy.
General insurance in India comprises of a wide array of insurance such as health insurance, fire insurance, errors and omissions insurance and their like. Or one can say that the thrust of general insurance is inclined toward business activities unlike life insurance. Business activities in todays web-connected globalised world are fraught with so many transactional uncertainties that it has become an utmost priority to safeguard the entire chain of activities. Right from procurement of raw materials from local or overseas
Vendors to manufacturing and later distribution of the finished products, the substance of value is for a considerable period of time in transit without the owner having a commanding control over its fate. A general insurance policy aims to fill the command vacuum by providing the mitigation of uncertainty that may occur. It promises the policy holder to cover the losses in lieu of a fixed amount of premium.
Unlike life insurance policies, general insurance policies are typically not for lifetime tenure. It usually last for a particular economic activity, for instance marine insurance. It concerns with providing insurance cover for a particular voyage. Similar is the case with fire insurance, it covers losses that may occur due to fire in the factory warehouse for a given period of time. It can therefore be asserted that, most if not all general insurance products are of annual nature.
Various insurance service providers operate in this zone. Although the crux of their services remains the same, many of them have insurance products that are spin-offs of one another. Hence, differentiating between general insurance products of the same category from two different service providers can be a daunting task. Not only has that, a few providers of general insurance in India offer various combinations of insurance service. As different people have needs that are not symmetrical, hence it becomes a necessity of insurance providers to cater to the demand. For instance, an owner of a manufacturing unit would ideally require both fire insurance and machinery breakdown insurance. Thus one may come across general insurance products in various combinations catering to the need ever-evolving business landscape.
Thus general insurance in India can be put on a must-have list for most people, business entities and entrepreneurs alike. It is a handy tool that goes a long way to bring certainty and peace of mind in life.
