Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called for ensuring that insurance claims were paid after proper investigation to curb anomalies in this sector.
“Make sure that you are paying the money claimed after appropriate investigation and examinations,” she said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. The prime minister said this while addressing a programme to observe National Insurance Day 2023 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre with the theme “my life and asset will be secured if these are insured”.
She said there were allegations of anomalies over the payment of money claimed with unscrupulous people claiming hefty amounts of money against insured items.
“My request to the people and authority involved in the insurance sector is to remain alert to ensure inquiry for finding out the actual loss from any incident,” she said.
She asked them not to pay any money without conducting proper investigations bowing down to pressure from any person.
She asked all people and authorities involved in the insurance sector to sincerely look into various anomalies in this sector.
“Please do not give in to any pressure. Many people come to us, to me and the ministers or any other person, for getting favour, but you have to find out the actual loss,” she said.
Hasina said any person can claim a hefty amount for his or her insured item but the authorities concerned have to pay the money after proper investigation and examination.
“Why is not that being implemented? Then should I think that the investigators are also the beneficiaries of this (anomaly)? I doubt they also have involvement is this,” she said.
She mentioned that she does not want insurance companies to earn a bad name because she was also a member of this family. “I have to look after this.”
She also requested the insurance companies to publicise their various products among the people as people were sometimes reluctant to take up insurance policies.
Responding to a demand from the insurance companies, the PM said the government would look into the matter that without proper insurance no vehicle would be plying the roads.
“We have to keep a special eye on this matter,” she said.
The premier said since 2009, her government has taken various timely and effective measures to further develop and modernise the insurance industry.
She questioned how third-party insurance was still operational in the country as such insurance for cars had already been cancelled in the country.
“I know well how third-party car insurance hurts as I was a victim of it,” she said.
