Anusuya is a widow raising her only child on a junior accountant’s salary. Her Rs. 5 lakh fixed deposit was meant for her child’s education. When she went to renew it, a bank employee persuaded […]
Insurance tax break for savers must not subsidise sellers Read More »
India’s ₹2 lakh crore pile of unclaimed assets remains largely out of reach not because citizens are unwilling to claim them, but because the system makes discovery nearly impossible. Official portals demand prior knowledge of assets, defeating their very purpose. As a result, meaningful restitution is rare, while private intermediaries succeed where the state does not. Without a unified, searchable database focused on discovery, initiatives like Aapki Poonji – Aapka Adhikar risk becoming symbolic rather than transformative. Truth be told, transparency—not opacity—is the real safeguard against fraud.
Unclaimed Assets: Easy Searchability, Not Opacity, Cuts Fraud Read More »
Read the above article in text format below: In the early 2000s, it was widely anticipated that the government would reduce the excise duty on cars in the upcoming Budget. As a result, demand for
Target GST relief to insurance smartly Read More »
Most people reading this article would have experienced the bank’s “relationship manager” trying to (mis)sell a life insurance policy to them. Harsh’s article in Business Standard on the economics that push the bank to cannibalise on their own deposits and convert them into Life Insurance premiums. Comments/ disagreements welcome.
Insurance: High surrender charges deter exits Read More »
Hon’ble Supreme Court has asked the Union Health Ministry to coordinate with the states to roll out of a common pricing structure for hospital services across the country. This is impractical for many reasons – Real estate prices – which is a significant part of the cost of hospital services – vary widely from location to location, the quality of equipment and personnel also vary widely making availability of hospitalisation services within a standard price range impractical. Harsh’s article in Business Standard on how enforcing transparency on pricing of hospital services might be a better first step towards achieving the goal of similar pricing across the country. Disclosure : Harsh is not connected to the medical services industry/hospital sector in any manner.
Usher in transparency, not price controls Read More »
Do you measure the progress of a journey by the amount paid for petrol rather than the distance covered? The Life Insurance industry seems to be doing exactly that in its laudable quest for “Insurance for All” goal by 2047. They measure the amount of premium paid rather than the life coverage provided. The only way to reach the Insurance for all goal is by way of group Insurance and term insurance which provides Life coverage at very low premiums. This will result in the the progress as measured by them dropping even as the goal is achieved. “A case of Patient successfully cured but the operation being declared as a failure” – a reversal of the popular maxim. Read the article for interesting example. Your comments are welcome.
Focus on coverage provided, not premium collected Read More »
Vigilance Awareness Week 2025 is being observed from October 27th to November 2nd, 2025, with the theme:
All stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the e-pledge initiative by visiting the CVC portal: https://pledge.cvc.nic.in/.
