MICRO INSURANCE AGENTS :

Micro insurance Agents are a special category of insurance agents who support financial inclusion, i.e. the distribution of financial services at an affordable cost to the masses. Micro insurance contracts are typically low sum assured contracts which provide for the sum assured to be paid either on death – both natural and accidental, or an Endowment (which also provides a sum assured on maturity in addition to death) or a health insurance.

Only a Non-Governmental organisation or a Self Help Group Micro Finance Institutions or Associations not formed for Profit are entitled to become Micro Insurance Agents. Such Agents can distribute the products of one life insurer or one general insurer or both. A Micro insurance agent shall employ Specified persons with the prior approval of the Insurer to distribute the micro insurance products on its behalf. All the Micro insurance agents and their Specified persons shall be imparted a 25 hour training by the insurer in local vernacular language in the areas of insurance selling, policyholder servicing and claims administration.

A Micro insurance agent can sell only a Micro insurance product and not any other type of insurance products. However an Agent who is licensed to sell all products of an insurer can sell the Micro insurance products of such insurer, if any. An Insurance Broker who can sell any product of any insurer, can sell Micro insurance products of any insurer as well.

All Micro insurance policies may be reckoned for the purpose of fulfillment of social obligations of an insurer pursuant to the provisions of the Insurance Act and Regulations. Where a micro insurance policy is issued in a rural area and falls under the definition of social sector, such policy may be reckoned for both under rural and social sector obligations as well.