GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

Driving around in a new car is an exciting feeling. But with owning a car, comes the responsibility of keeping it safe on the roads. In case of an event involving accident, theft, or fire, you may need compensation for damages sustained. Weather is also one of the primary factors due to which your car may suffer damage. Getting car insurance is a great way to provide a cover for your financial losses, especially during the monsoon season.

Why should you get Car Insurance In India?

Remember that a car is made up of a complex system of mechanical components and accessories. With comprehensive car insurance, you can easily get coverage for:

• Damage after a road accident, fire, or vandalism
• Damages that take place due to a natural disaster such as floods
• If the vehicle is stolen
• Unforeseen circumstances such as waterlogging

Accidents happen, but when you’re covered for the financial losses, it helps reduce your stress and brings you peace of mind.

Why do you need car insurance for the monsoons?

During the monsoon season, its even more important to consider securing your vehicle with a proper car insurance policy. Natural disasters like cyclones and flash floods can cause severe damages to property, including your car.

During monsoon water also collects in low lands and potholes making it really difficult to tell their presence. This often leads one to drive into potholes or park their cars in waterlogged areas. While the first one can cause damage to the body of the car, the latter can cause the engine to seize. But with the right insurance and the right add-on, both can be covered.

What would your car insurance policy cover during monsoons?

In the rainy season, no matter how cautious you are, there is always a risk of accidents due to poor visibility and slippery roads. Moreover, water damage like rusting, engine water-logging etc. are also quite common during heavy rains. Waterlogging happens if you drive through or start your car in deep water and the water gets into the engine. This leads to damage to the engine as well as electrical components. Sometimes, car insurers may exclude damage to the engine, but an engine protect add-on can offer you the required coverage. Similarly, roadside assistance add-on can be vital in ensuring you have help even during heavy rains.

While you have no control over the weather and road conditions, you can always be prepared to face them without any worries. Choose a good auto insurance policy such as Magma HDI's Private Car insurance and drive through monsoon worry-free.

A world without general insurance is a world with millions of financially unprotected people. It may even be compared to a person without vaccination! The going is good as long as you don’t contract major diseases.

Why is insurance important?

It's not always possible to prevent falling sick. No matter how careful you are, someone can still break into your house. This uncertainty is what makes insurance important. It's a safety net that ensures that even if something happens, your finances don't suffer. At least not too severely. You can think of insurance as that vaccine that safeguards you against any future issues. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.

General insurance in India covers an entire gamut of important aspects like health, home, vehicle, travel etc. Thus, to overcome the risks of everyday living, we need its security.

But what happens if there was no insurance?

You never realize the value of something until it isn’t available to you. That’s just good old human nature. So let’s appreciate insurance for what it does for us today.

Scenario 1:

You are driving back home, and it feels like every other day. However, a novice driver, driving a car with an L sign, hits your car and then speeds off. It leaves you with a broken headlight, dents and a damaged bumper.

Without motor insurance, now you need to pay everything out of your pocket. 

Motor Insurance would have covered you by paying for damages to the vehicle and its owner. You could even increase your coverage by opting for add-ons such as personal accident cover and engine protection. Sounds much better than just lamenting at your loss right?

Scenario 2:

Your family has had a history of heart disease and you know you also run the risk of getting it. But there's no way to prepare for it. Later down the line, you need to get an expensive surgery done. While you manage to pay for it with all your savings, now you aren't left with much. You also are required to quit your work to recover.

This would not only affect you but your family's lifestyle as well. Health Insurance, in this case, could not only have taken care of your surgery but pre and post hospitalization expenses as well. It covers our hospitalization, OPD treatments and even alternative treatments like Ayurveda. It is truly a necessity with rising prices of healthcare these days.

Scenario 3:

You are returning from a vacation in the U.S. However when you arrive in India, you find that your luggage has not reached. After contacting the airport officials, you realize that your luggage is lost. Not much you can do about it except hope that the airline reimburses you for your loss.

This is where travel insurance comes to your aid. It ensures that you get a predecided amount in case your luggage is lost by the airline. Not just that, it can also cover you for flight delay, missed flights and more.

It should be clear enough now how our world would be affected if there was no insurance. You may or may not need it, however, the risks of remaining uninsured are far more disastrous. A world without General Insurance would be far more costly in every aspect that you can imagine. To find more about your options for general insurance in India, you can click here.

Connectivity has become the fourth pillar of our rations today. Each one of us, at least, own three gadgets, in which we store and share critical data. Whether it is business-related information or personal details, our gadgets hold a lot of information that, if leaked, could cause serious damage. Besides the implications of a security breach, these gadgets come at a high cost, and replacing a lost or stolen one may seriously burn a hole in the pocket.

Therefore, it’s prudent to secure your gadgets by taking Electronic Equipment Insurance (EEI). EEI extensively covers loss of electronic good, and subsequently, helps to meet unavoidable costs. Depending on the coverage that will be best suited for you, there are different types of EEI to choose from. Before we get into the different types, let’s take a true look at the scope of the cover.

What’s Covered?

• Damaged equipment coverage, including replacement expenses, such as freight, installation cost, customs duty, etc.
• Damaged data media coverage, including expenses incurred in restoring lost information, external data media, damaged/lost data media, etc.
• Increased cost of working, caused due to employing more manpower to substitute for the work that would have otherwise been done by the equipment.
• Any damage caused to the equipment’s software as a result of the damage to the hardware is also factored in.

Types of Electronic Equipment Insurance

All risks included

Give your gadgets complete protection from perils, including those caused by natural and man-made causes. For instance, damage due to natural calamities includes the ones caused by fire, landslide, or storm, whereas manual perils include terrorism, strikes, and riots.

External data media

This option covers the losses partly and includes expenses arising due to data loss on external media devices, such as hard discs, etc.

Increased cost of working

This type of EEI is usually taken by organizations that rely heavily on data processing units. In the event of any loss or damage to the unit, the expenses incurred to employ any additional/alternative tool or manpower, are covered by the insurance policy.

What are the types of electronic equipment that can be secured with EEI by Magma?

Electronic Equipment Insurance is suitable for a range of equipment, including, but not limited to:

• Computer and allied peripherals
• Audio visual equipment
• Auxiliary equipment, such as voltage stabilizer, UPS, etc.
• Electronic control panels
• Navigation equipment
• Telecommunications equipment
• Electronic equipment used for research and testing materials
• Medical equipment, such as MRI scan machines, X-Ray machine, ultrasound devices, etc.

Who should take an EEI by Magma?

Practically, anyone who owns and operates electronic equipment should secure their gadgets with an EEI.

• Owners and businesses owning electronic equipment
• Organizations that are involved in leasing electronic equipment
• Third-parties, such as financiers or bankers who ultimately bear the purchase cost of the equipment

While an Electronic Equipment Insurance secures your gadgets from multiple threats, note that there are certain cases, such as normal wear and tear that do not fall under the purview of the policy.

Insurance provides the safety net required to protect the financial integrity of your personal and professional needs. If you are in the business of sending or receiving physical goods from one destination to another, insuring your goods and business interests inevitably becomes your priority. 

Therefore, the simple answer to whether or not you need marine insurance is 'yes'. Read along to understand why that is so: 

What is marine insurance?

‘Marine’ insurance is a colloquially used term for any kind of transport insurance, not just restricted to waterways. Whether your cargo or goods are moving over land, railways, or a combination of multiple transport modes, marine insurance provides cover for any loss or damage to your goods while in transit from source to the point of delivery.

Marine insurance can be purchased by sellers, buyers, and even financiers of the goods. So, whether you’re a small trader, moving materials interstate or a manufacturer sourcing raw materials or a large import/export house, marine insurance can protect your stock against any unforeseen eventualities.

Why marine insurance?

Depending on the mode of transport, distance, size, and value, your cargo could take days or months to get from one point to another. In the interim period, your goods are at the risk of damage due to accidents, improper packaging/ storage, seepage of water, mishandling by personnel and natural disasters such as floods, fire, and storms. They could also be lost due to theft, piracy, or be lost at sea. The carrier, in most cases, cannot be held liable for any damage or loss either. Hence, it becomes imperative to opt for additional security.

All natural calamities and human errors can be covered by marine insurance. There are various types of policies such as valued, unvalued, floating, time, voyage, etc. that you can choose from basis your needs, irrespective of whether the cargo is moving for domestic trade or across international waters.

Magma, for example, provides comprehensive coverage through its Marine Cargo Open Insurance Policy. Whether you are sending a small parcel via airmail or a huge consignment via cargo, Magma has your peace of mind covered.

In some instances, taking marine insurance may be obligatory basis the terms of the shipping or business contract. This helps bring in clarity over service delivery and safeguards the interest of all parties. 

Alternatively, the insurance helps you gain a lot more control over the jurisdiction and language if in case the need for a claim arises. Imagine dealing with an insurer based out of Japan speaking a language alien to you while you are trying to get the information and paperwork through. It can be both time-consuming and exasperating.

In conclusion, marine insurance is extremely pocket-friendly. The premium depends on the value of the goods and the mode of transport. For a fraction of the cost of the shipment, you can secure your peace of mind. In case the need for a claim arises, a dependable insurer like us is just a phone call away.