The Covid-19 pandemic has, unfortunately, hit those in the informal sector the hardest.By Subramanyam Brahmajosyula
The festive season has set in and spirits are noticeably high. November is here to bring in the festival of lights, and as we are acclimatising to the newer phases of unlocking, we are also adapting to newer ways of celebrating our festivals. While some of us are avoiding travel, maintaining social distancing and taking precautions, we are all finding unique ways of keeping the festive spirit alive by connecting with our loved ones through video calls, cooking traditional meals at home and so on.
If there is one thing that remains unchanged despite the current situation, it’s the tradition of giving gifts! For long, Diwali, and this festive season, has been associated with sending gifts to family, friends and those who are around us, and that is a tradition that fortunately still remains unchanged. We plan and explore to zero down on what is the right gift because we believe it should be useful and thoughtful at the same time.
This Diwali, let us revisit this gifting process – the gift itself and the mode of gifting! The Covid-19 pandemic has, unfortunately, hit those in the informal sector the hardest.
Many of them have found themselves falling out of the social security nets and with limited savings, they have the least financial cushion to navigate a medical exigency or any unfortunate event. Therefore, given the nature of their jobs and the fact that most of them have dependents, insurance is vital to ensure adequate financial support in times of crisis.
Gift insurance – gift a safety net
If you offer your domestic help increments and bonuses every year, do try and educate them about the benefits of channelling this excess income into an appropriate insurance scheme.
Or you could go one step further, gift an insurance policy. However, this is usually not allowed as per the insurance guidelines, but there are special insurance solutions enabled by a few insurance companies, which can be gifted. The recipient does not have to be related to the insured. Insurance can be gifted to domestic helpers, drivers, cooks, gardeners who enrich our lives through their services and are extremely helpful in your daily lives. In short, the group of people who make our lives easy and convenient remain one of the most vulnerable groups during any unfortunate circumstance. With this gift of security, it will help them create a financial safety net that keeps their hard-earned financial assets secure in case of any unfortunate event and keeps their savings corpus from being affected due to any sudden financial requirement.
It is usually a personal accident insurance policy that can be gifted, which will provide complete financial protection to them against uncertainties such as accidental death and partial/total disabilities, permanent as well as temporary disabilities resulting from an accident. The premium of the products is also designed at Rs. 501, 1001, 2001, thus, making it a perfect gifting experience.
So, as you look at the happy smiles and bright lights all around this Diwali, keep the gifting tradition alive by making a huge difference to the lives of your staff by securing their risks with the gift of insurance. A small price to pay to see those faces light up!
(The author is Head -Underwriting & Reinsurance, SBI General Insurance)
Do you know What is ? FE Knowledge Desk explains each of these and more in detail at Financial Express Explained. Also get Live BSE/NSE Stock Prices, latest NAV of Mutual Funds, Best equity funds, Top Gainers, Top Losers on Financial Express. Dont forget to try our free Income Tax Calculator tool.
Financial Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Biz news and updates.
