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Business Standard
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India-Pakistan conflict: Your insurance policy may not cover 'act of war'
Does your life or term insurance policy cover claims arising from an 'act of war'? With tensions between India and Pakistan on the rise, now may be a good time to review your insurance documents and reassess whether your financial protections are still adequate. According to Narendra Bharindwal, president of the Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI), most life and term insurance policies do not. 'Standard life or term insurance policies typically exclude deaths caused by war or war-like operations,' said Bharindwal. 'There's usually a 'war exclusion' clause built in that applies to civilians as well as active military personnel.' The war exclusion clause — War, whether declared or undeclared — Invasion or act of foreign enemy — Hostilities, civil war or rebellion — Insurrection or any similar events This means that even if the policy is active and all premiums are paid, a death resulting from these causes may not be covered. 'If a person dies in a bomb explosion in an active conflict zone abroad, and it's traced back to a war-related event, the insurer can reject the claim,' said Bharindwal. 'But if the death was from an unrelated cause, like an illness or accident, the claim might still go through.' Sandeep Katiyar, co-founder and CFO of Finhaat, explained further. 'Insurers typically have war exclusion clauses baked into the terms,' he said. According to him, claims may be rejected if death results from: — Participation in war or war-like operations — Terrorist activities — Acts of foreign enemies or invasions — Being in a known conflict zone, even if not directly involved However, he added, 'If an Indian expat living in the Middle East dies of a heart attack, and there's no link to the ongoing conflict, the claim can still be honoured — provided there are no geographical exclusions in the policy.' Are there exceptions? 'Some group term insurance plans for defence personnel or corporate insurance for employees posted overseas may include specific cover for such risks,' said Bharindwal. 'But these aren't standard and usually need custom underwriting.' Government bodies like LIC or the Army Wing offer war-risk cover to military personnel through schemes like Armed Forces Group Insurance. Civilian policies from private insurers, on the other hand, usually stay away from war-related coverage. Katiyar said some corporate policies — especially in high-risk sectors like oil and gas, media, or diplomacy — may be customised to include group accident or life cover with such provisions. High-risk international travel policies from general insurers such as Tata AIG or ICICI Lombard may include terrorism cover, but under health or personal accident categories — not life insurance. What policyholders should check Katiyar listed a few things individuals should watch for in their policy documents: — Read all exclusions carefully, especially those mentioning war, terrorism, or high-risk jobs — Check for optional add-ons like accidental death or terrorism cover — Review territorial limits — some policies exclude coverage outside India — For NRIs, confirm whether being in a high-risk area affects claim eligibility 'If you see terms like 'acts of war', 'civil commotion' or 'terrorism' in the exclusion section, it's a red flag,' he said. 'Clarify with your insurer.' He added that policyholders living or working in high-risk zones should consider: — Comprehensive international life insurance that includes conflict zones — AD&D (Accidental Death and Dismemberment) riders with terrorism cover — Group insurance negotiated by employers with explicit war-risk inclusions — Global insurers who state inclusion of conflict zones, subject to certain conditions 'Most importantly, always declare your location and job profile truthfully. If you leave that out, the insurer might reject the claim later — even if the death wasn't war-related,' said Katiyar.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Rain accompanied by thunderstorm expected in Himachal this week; IMD issues yellow alert
Himachal Pradesh is set to experience a break from the summer heat as light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and even snowfall in higher altitudes are predicted over the next week. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons? Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan The India Meteorological Department ( IMD ) has issued a yellow alert for the lower and mid-hill districts of the state, warning of possible thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds. Speaking to ANI, Shobhit Katiyar, Senior Scientist at the Meteorological Centre in Shimla, said light rainfall was recorded in three districts and more will continue across Himachal. GIF89a����!�,D; 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Car Novels Undo "Light rainfall was recorded in Kinnaur district, and in parts of Shimla and Sirmaur districts over the past 24 hours. Yesterday evening's forecast indicated this activity, and it has played out as expected." Shobhit said. "Over the same period, Una district recorded the highest temperature in the state at 38.6°C, while the temperature in Shimla stood at 15.5°C. Despite the onset of this weather system, Katiyar noted that "temperatures in some regions are still 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal." He said. Live Events From May 1, rainfall activity is expected to begin across several districts. This pattern of intermittent rain is likely to persist for the next 5 to 7 days, resulting in a temperature drop of 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. The forecast brings much-needed relief from the heat, particularly for the mid-hill and low-lying regions of the state. "Thunderstorm and lightning activity will be more prominent in the mid and lower hills, accompanied by gusty winds with speeds of 30 to 40 km/h. This activity will intensify on May 4 and 5, potentially bringing moderate rainfall and stronger winds in some areas, with wind speeds reaching up to 40 to 50 km/h." He said. The current weather changes are due to a combined effect of a western disturbance and local atmospheric formations, he added. Most districts are expected to receive light to moderate rainfall during this period, with overcast skies likely to dominate. "There is very little chance of clear sunshine over the next 5 to 6 days. Strong winds are likely in the mid and lower hills, especially during thunderstorm events," Katiyar warned. In higher reaches such as Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, daytime wind speeds may reach 30 to 40 km/h," Katiyar added. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds, which is valid for lowland and mid-hill regions over the next 5 to 7 days. "People should avoid open spaces during thunderstorms and lightning activity. It is also advised to stay away from electrical appliances and power lines during such weather events," cautioned Katiyar. In Shimla city, overcast conditions are expected to persist for the next four days, with intermittent light rain across the district.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Indian rock sensations Bloodywood: ‘What's more metal than standing up for people you love?'
'We're serving a really nice dish called metal tikka masala,' jokes Bloodywood guitarist Jayant Bhadula. 'It's metal but with so many spices that it'll overwhelm your senses. You will headbang and you will end up dancing with us.' This is the tongue-in-cheek mission statement of one of metal's most original bands. Formed in 2016, Bloodywood flavour the conventions of nu-metal with traditional Indian instruments, meaning their songs are as likely to feature crunching riffs as they are the flute or the dhol. The trio – bulked out to a six-piece on stage – became viral sensations covering pop songs and alternative hits on YouTube before writing original material. From there, their fortunes soared. Their first ever gig was at German metal festival Wacken Open Air in 2019. Four years later they drew a massive crowd to the UK's Download festival, despite the tricky task of opening the main stage early on a Sunday. More recently, their song Dana-Dan was used in a pivotal action sequence in Dev Patel's action thriller Monkey Man. But there's a political element to even their most playful material. Karan Katiyar – co-vocalist alongside Raoul Kerr, absent from our call due to a struggling internet connection – says that on social media, and more than ever in the last couple of years, he sees 'a lot of bullying, a lot of hate, and I see a lot of it unchecked. I also see a lot of it aimed at ethnicity, which is why it became more important for us to tell our story.' Bhadula discovered heavy metal through his older cousin, who showed him the music of Viking metallers Amon Amarth and then burned him a CD full of modern classics from Slipknot to System of a Down (influence from both bleeds into Bloodywood's music). Katiyar stumbled across it while attending a battle of the bands competition: 'Someone threw me into a mosh pit and I had the best time of my life.' Bhadula says musical education in their native Delhi tends to be good – 'there are a lot of places with guitar and drum classes' – and awareness of metal is widespread. 'In school, when there were people playing music, it was always the people performing metal that would blow everyone's mind,' says Katiyar. Yet this hasn't translated into a broader Indian metal scene. 'It's strange to get our heads around the fact that there isn't a bigger audience because we're a very big country.' For metal, says Bhadula, 'the infrastructure isn't just lacking in terms of shows, but also in terms of how the music is promoted. In India, working in music is basically working in Bollywood, and metal isn't paying the bills.' As such, Bloodywood are waving the Indian flag almost single-handedly in the world of metal. 'We love representing our country and our culture in our music,' Katiyar says. 'It's no pressure at all, but one thing that does nag us sometimes is that we can't represent our whole country. There are so many cultures and so many languages; I can't even count the number of instruments we have. We want to try to represent everyone as much as humanly possible.' While the band are playful with their culture, naming their 2019 documentary Raj Against the Machine and selling naan-coloured vinyl, their popular single Gaddaar punches back against politicians using hateful rhetoric to divide, and they've often used music to stand up against rape culture (a show of solidarity unlike almost anything shown from men in metal). 'It's a global issue and something we feel very strongly about,' says Katiyar. 'It's kind of strange that not as many [men] are speaking about it; I don't think there's many things that are more metal than standing up for the people you love.' Their new album Nu Delhi is conspicuously less political than their 2022 debut Rakshak. Katiyar points out that Rakshak was released the same week Russia invaded Ukraine and, since then, the world has spiralled into constant, poisonous animosity. 'People are very keen on choosing a side and fighting the other side,' Katiyar says, 'and I think people need to talk to each other in a more civilised manner.' So the band have chosen to counter the toxicity, stereotyping and bullying by celebrating stories of their homeland and history. 'We're trying to make the world an easier place to live in through music,' says Katiyar. 'We want to bring the positive side of music to as many people as we can.' Nu Delhi is released on 21 March via Fearless Records
