New Delhi: In a move that will benefit the dependents, two state-run general insurers including New India Assurance (NIA) and United India Insurance (UII) have settled group personal accident (GPA) insurance claims at a breathtaking speed of defence personnel, including India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Brigadier L S Lidder, who passed away in a tragic helicopter crash at Coonoor.
The Mi-17V5 helicopter crash is being considered as one of the biggest air accidents in India in decades involving senior military officers that left General Rawat and 12 armed defence personnel dead.
The group personal accident insurance cover comes with the salary account of all defence personnel.
What’s the time taken to settle the claims?
While UII has so far settled the personal accident insurance claim of Gen Rawat and seven other defence personnel in record 30 minutes, according to the news agency PTI.
On the other hand, New India Assurance paid the claim of Brig Lidder in an hour of the receipt of claim intimation from the bank he was having an account with, according to PTI sources.
"On December 10, we received primary information from the bank that these account holders have been martyred in the accident. As soon as the information came, we settled the claim amount with the minimum required paper that had come to us from the bank," UII chairman and managing director Satyajit Tripathy told the agency.
The eight personnel, including Gen Rawat, were covered under SBI GPA Policy for account holders, he said.
Tripathy informed that UII is processing the settlement of personal accident insurance claims for two more defence personnel having a GPA policy with Punjab National Bank.
Army officials are eligible for Rs 30 lakh insurance while for Air Force officials it is Rs 40 lakh, according to Tripathy.