Travel insurance for Indian railway passengers
The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced that it will be offering optional insurance cover to Indians who book train tickets via its website
IRCTC has been put fully in charge of certain services for the first time, and among various benefits it has mooted – including luggage pickup and drop-off services and taxi and hotel bookings – is travel insurance coverage, for a premium of just 49 paise (less than half a rupee, which in turn corresponds to less than one British penny).
The policy includes coverage for death, permanent total disability, permanent partial disability, hospitalisation for injury and even transportation of mortal remains, should the worst occur. Passengers will be given the option to add insurance cover at the point of ticket purchase; they will then receive all the relevant policy information and data via email and SMS.
Railway travel is an immensely popular avenue of transportation in India, so it is positive to see an operator promoting the importance of travel insurance cover. Even an in-country journey can be fraught with danger, so hopefully IRCTC will be publicising this benefit widely, helping to improve awareness across the board.