Kerala Landslides: Finance Ministry Orders PSU Insurers To Fast-Track Claims; LIC To Expedite PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Payouts

The Finance Ministry has ordered five public sector insurance companies to extend all the possible help to the victims of the calamity in Kerala to secure the insurance claims, the Finance Ministry said in a post on social media platform "X".

Informing about the steps already taken by the PSU insurers, the ministry said that the companies are reaching out to their policyholders through various channels such as local newspapers, social media, company websites, SMS, etc.

"The insurance companies have initiated efforts for reaching out to their policyholders through various channels (local newspapers, social media, company websites, SMS, etc) to provide the contact details for assistance in the districts of Wayanad, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Thrissur, where a significant number of claims are being reported," the ministry said in the post.

In order to facilitate customers, the LIC has been asked to disburse the claims under the PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.

In the post, the ministry said, "LIC has been asked to speedily disburse the claim amount in respect of the policyholders under the PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana." In addition, the documentation required for processing of claims has been relaxed comprehensively to ensure speedy dispersal of the claim amount, the ministry added.

The government has mandated the General Insurance Council to coordinate with the insurance companies to ensure faster processing of the claims. The General Insurance Council will host a portal for all insurers to report claim status daily.

The tragic landslide in Wayanad has taken the lives of 308 as of Friday, as per Kerala Health Minister Veena George.

As per the latest update, 215 bodies and 143 body parts were recovered including 98 males, 87 females and 30 children. The post-mortem procedures were completed on 212 bodies and 140 body parts and 148 bodies were identified by relatives so far.

As many as 78 naval personnel have been deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations at multiple locations in the Chooralmala and Mundakkai areas of Kerala's Wayanad following landslides, officials said on Saturday.