Page 42 - Insurance Times September 2020

Report of the working group to study and make

recommendations on formation of an India

PANDEMIC RISK POOL

September 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY provisions of extended moratoriums on loan, it hasn’t
served enough. Government also announced a major
Background fnancial stimulus equivalent of 10% of India’s GDP
The world has witnessed several disease outbreaks and amounting to Rs. 20 lakh Crore. However, this one-time
epidemics in the past years such as Spanish Flu, H1N1, SARS, stimulus was ad-hoc and took a huge toll on the
Ebola etc., among which some have taken the form of a Government’s coffers. Possibility of occurrence of such
pandemic as well. This has affected both human life and future pandemics can no longer be ruled out. Doling out
economies across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic is no one-time ex gratia packages is not a viable long-term
exception, albeit this being on a much larger scale and solution to such occurrences.
followed by a worldwide lockdown has unsettled an
Y Though business groups have suffered huge losses due
overwhelming proportion of society at an individual and to business interruption, they can’t get insurance claims
group level.
as most of their policies exclude pandemic cover.
Impact of Covid-19 in India Y One-time stimulus by Government equivalent to such
huge proportion of GDP is not economically viable each
Y All business houses suffered immense fnancial setbacks
time a pandemic occurs.
which will take years to recover.
Y The Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises, who were Thus arises the need for systematically designed well-
unable to handle the fnancial burden were forced to structured pandemic pool.
make tough decision like furlough staff or close their
business altogether. As per CMIE Reports, Need for a Pandemic Pool
Unemployment rate saw a steep rise from 8.75% in There are estimates that current business interruption
March to 23.52% in April 2020. The spike in premiums in some markets would need to be collected
unemployment rate has been unprecedented in the for over 100 years to cover two months of COVID-19-
months of April and May. With businesses shuttered related business interruption costs. The lock-down
causing a huge wave of reverse migration, the country’s measures, by which national or local authorities have
overall unemployment rate rose as high as 27.11% for restricted movement of (parts of the) population, have
the week that ended May 7, 2020. augmented the risk of business interruption. On the
Y The daily wage earners, who are often migrants, lost demand side, inability to insure has signifcant wider
their livelihood due to lockdown which led to limited economic and social consequences such as businesses and
access to basic facilities like food, accommodation and individuals being unable to obtain loans and mortgages.
health. For example, small businesses may fnd it harder to obtain
cover (“availability) or only at an extreme price
Y The economy has faced a huge fnancial loss and our
growth rates have been revised down by various (“affordability”). Moreover, business interruption
international agencies. Though Government introduced insurance for small business is not common in Indian

38 The Insurance Times, September 2020