Insurance Ombudsmen decided 41,055 grievances during 2025-26. Of these 79% were decided in favour of policyholders, according to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

The IRDAI cited the numbers in a release on an orientation programme for insurance ombudsmen being held May 20-23 in Hyderabad.

Insurance ombudsmen serve as an alternate grievance redressal platform set up with an aim to resolve complaints of aggrieved policyholders against insurers, intermediaries or insurance brokers. According to the Council for Insurance Ombudsmen (CIO), the offices of insurance ombudsmen are under its administrative control.

IRDAI Chairman Ajay Seth, while addressing the programme, said the institution of the insurance ombudsman promises to provide free, speedy and accessible grievance redressal to policyholders.

Strengthen customer trust

He urged the participants to utilise such orientation programmes to identify operational challenges, share experiences, and evolve practical solutions for improving the overall effectiveness of the grievance redressal framework. Strengthening customer trust is central to achieving higher insurance penetration and realising the vision of inclusive insurance coverage, he said.

Mr.Seth also emphasised the need to address recurring instances of mis-selling, enhance public awareness regarding grievance redressal mechanisms and improve the efficiency of insurance intermediation. Key areas requiring focused attention include complaints pending beyond 90 days, delays in registration of complaints, non-entertainable complaints and the need to increase the number of hearings conducted through video conferencing.

The programme brings together all insurance ombudsmen across the country and is aimed at enhancing institutional capacity, promoting greater consistency in grievance redressal practices and facilitating exchange of perspectives on emerging issues in the insurance sector, IRDAI said.

Capacity building

Secretary to Centre’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) M. Nagaraju, who addressed the programme through video conference, underscored the importance of approaching every grievance with empathy and a strong policyholder-centric perspective. He stressed continuous capacity building and adoption of best practices supported by appropriate policies, digital tools and technology-driven processes.