It is high time that the insurance system is brought under an automation system. The prime minister also made a call in this regard at the first-ever National Insurance Day at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC). But before insurance is automated there has to be a massive publicity drive to make the people aware of the system. While the insurance sector in the country has several players, the whole process is often not understood by the lay person. This is because insurance field officers tend to make matters complex than necessary, hiding many of the clauses which may deter a person from taking insurance.

Therefore, the first step is to make the insurance system easy to understand without any hidden conditions. Secondly, the insurance field officers need to be trained to make their spiels attractive but truthful. The general people are still outside the insurance sphere and so, risk oriented sectors like transport and garment, need to be brought under the insurance net so that general workers get financial support in case they become victims of accidents. The government has constituted the Insurance Development and Controlling Authority, 2010 to give the industry an institutional shape; it can also make it mandatory for all textile industries to have insurance done for their workers. Many survivors of the Rana Plaza tragedy who sustained terrible injuries or had a limb amputated later sunk into depression and several committed suicide because they could not afford better treatment. While garment factories have become safer with introduction of safety measures, accidents still happen with the victims often forced to face poverty and destitution in the absence of proper insurance coverage. There is a fear among many educated people that insurance policies swindle the common man.

Such thoughts are not totally without reason because insurance scams are not uncommon. Once automated, the user will be able to get insurance at the click of a button, getting a clear idea about insurance conditions. In case, they find some issues difficult they can ask for a person to person consultation.