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POST OFFICE LIFE INSURANCE RULES - 2011
The following rules are issued under the authority of the Government of India: -
1. Short title, extent and commencement --- These rules may be called Post Office Life Insurance Rules - 2011
(2) These extend to the whole of India.
(3) These shall come into force on the date of its notification in the Official Gazette of India.
2. The President reserves the right of making from time to time such addition, alteration or modification in the rules or in the premia to be paid as may be considered necessary, provided that no such addition, alteration or modification shall affect the terms of any contract for a policy which any person may have made with the Director General of Posts under these or any other rules in force at the time of making the contract, unless such person has given his consent in writing to such addition, alteration or modification.
3. The administration of the Post Office Life Insurance Fund and Rural Post Office Life Insurance Fund under these rules is vested in the Director General of Posts who is authorized to issue from time to time such subsidiary regulations and orders as may be deemed necessary provided that no such regulation or order shall be inconsistent with any provision of these rules or any rules that may hereinafter be made by the President.
4. The Post Office Life Insurance Rules, 2011 shall apply to the Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance of the Department of Posts.
DEFINITIONS
5. In these rules: -
(1) “Acceptance letter” is an intimation sent by Postmaster General/ Accepting Authority to the proposer regarding acceptance of proposal.
(2) “Accepting Authority” means an officer who is authorised to accept the proposal for Postal Life Insurance policy / Rural Postal Life Insurance policy.
(3) “Age proof” means the proof given by the proposer to determine his/her age on the next birth day on the date of proposal.
(4) “Anticipated Endowment Assurance” means a life insurance contract entered into by Government to pay a given sum of money, in stipulated installments, to an individual or his assignee, on survival to the end of specified periods, or to pay the given sum of money in one lump sum to his legal representatives or assigns on his death, if death occurs before the specified date of maturity.
(5) “Auto paid up” means a policy for which 36 or more premiums have been paid and also has completed three years or more duration from its date of acceptance and the policy holder without intimation discontinues payment of further premia. However, the policy shall be maturing on the same date as the original policy, either for the original sum assured, when the future premiums payable are compounded by a single payment, or for a reduced sum assured, when the premium in respect of the original policy are discontinued before the stipulated terms.
(6) “Children Policy”1 means a life insurance contract entered into by Government to pay a given sum of money to a child or his/her parent at a certain specified period of child’s life or to his/her legal representatives or assigns at his/her death, if death occurs before the specified date.
(7) “Commutation” means any alteration in a contract of insurance excepting one in the date of maturity, and includes alteration in the amount of premium in the premium-term, or in the sum assured.
(8) “Conversion” means any alteration affecting the date of maturity of a contract of insurance and includes not only alteration from Whole Life Insurance class to the Endowment class but also the antedating or post dating of the maturity of an Endowment policy and consequent increase/decrease of premium.
(9) “Convertible Whole Life Assurance” means a life insurance contract entered into by Government to pay a given sum of money, on the death of an individual, to his legal representatives or assigns, with option to the policy holder to convert the policy, at the end of five years (with a grace period at the end of six years) from the date of commencement of risk, into an Endowment Assurance maturing at a specified age.
(10) “Date of Acceptance” means the date on which the proposal is accepted and mentioned in the “Acceptance letter” issued to the proposer.
(11) “Date of commencement of risk” means the date on which the proposal is accepted. No claim shall lie with Postal Life Insurance or Rural Postal Life Insurance before date of acceptance.
(12) “Direct Agent”2,3 means an Insurance Agent engaged by the Postmaster General / Head of the Division who receives or agrees to receive payments by way of commission or other remuneration in consideration of his/her soliciting or procuring PLI/RPLI business including business relating to continuance, renewal or revival of policies of PLI/RPLI.
(13) “Director PLI” means the Director, Postal Life Insurance, Kolkata.
(14) “Due date of premium” means the first day of the month for which the premium is payable.
(15) “Endowment Assurance” means a life insurance contract entered into by Government to pay a given sum of money to an individual or his assigns at a certain specified period of his life or to his legal representatives or assigns at his death, if death occurs before the specified date.
(16) “Head of Division” means Head of Postal Division/ RMS Division/ Chief Post Master.
(17) “Immediate Superior” means the head of the office in which the proposer is serving. If the proposer is himself the head of the office “Immediate Superior” means the officer to whom the proposer is directly subordinate.
(18) “Insured” or “insured person” means the person to whom a policy of Postal life insurance/Rural Postal Life Insurance has been issued.
(19) “Joint Life Insurance/Yugal Suraksha”4 means a life insurance contract entered into by Government to pay a given sum of money to an individual or his/her surviving spouse or his/her assigns after a certain specified period of term or his/her legal representatives or assigns at his/her death, if death occurs before specified term of period.
(20) “Lapsing of policy” – a policy which is in existence more than three years.
shall be treated as lapsed if premium/ premia remain unpaid for more than twelve months.
(21) “ Life Insurance ”contract is a contract by which the Government, in consideration of a certain premium, either in a gross sum or periodical payments, undertakes to pay the person for whose benefit the insurance is made, a stipulated sum upon the expiry of a fixed period, or a stipulated sum upon death of the person whose life is insured.
(22) “Marketing staff”5 is an official or person who is authorized by the Postmaster General or Head of Division to procure Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance business. The marketing staff includes IPOs, ASPOs, ASRMs, Ex- D.O (PLI), PRI (P), Postmasters, Selected Postal Assistant, Postman, Retired GDS BPM, D.O (PLI), Field Officer (PLI), SPM (Rural S.O), GDS staff, and also includes Direct Agents such as Anganwadi worker, Mahila Mandal worker, Ex-Serviceman, Retired school teacher, SHGs, Gram Pradhan & Member Gram Panchayat and any other official/person as considered suitable by the Head of Postal Division.
(23) “Paid up Policy” means a policy which requires no further payment of premium in respect of it, but maturing at the same date as the original policy, either for the original sum assured, when the future premiums payable are compounded by a single payment, or for a reduced sum assured, when the premium in respect of the original policy are discontinued before the stipulated term.
(24) “Pay and Accounts Officer and Drawing and Disbursing Officer” means the Officer whatever is his official designation, in whose office the account of pay and allowances of the proposer or the insured person is maintained.
(25) “Period of Grace”6 shall extend up to the last day of the calendar month for which the premium is due or the day before the last day if the last day of the month falls on Sunday or Postal holiday.
(26) “Policy” means the written document containing the terms of contract in respect of insurance.
(27) “Policy in Force” means a policy for which all the due premia have been paid regularly and such policy has neither become ‘void’ nor ‘lapsed’ under any rule of Post Office Insurance Fund Rules.
(28) “Post Office Life Insurance Fund (POLIF)” means the amount outstanding in the fund arising out of Postal Life Insurance.
(29) “Postal Life Insurance (PLI)” includes Whole life Insurance, Endowment Assurance, Convertible Whole Life Assurance, Anticipated Endowment Assurance, Joint Life Insurance and Children Policy and such other schemes as may be introduced by the Department of Posts from time to time.
(30) “Postmaster General” means the Head of Postal Circle or Region concerned and includes all officers exercising the powers of a Postmaster General in Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance matters.
(31) “Post Office” means a Head or Sub-Post Office or Branch Post Office in India under the control of the Director General (Posts). For insurants on Field Service with an expeditionary Force, it includes Base Post Offices as well.
(32) “Premium” means the periodical payment for any policy.
(33) “Proposer”/ “Proponent” means the person who applies for scheme/schemes of PLI/RPLI.
(34) “Rural Post Office Life Insurance Fund (RPOLIF)” means the amount outstanding in the fund arising out of Rural Postal Life Insurance.
(35) “Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI)” includes Whole life Insurance, Endowment Assurance, Convertible Whole Life Assurance
(36) , Anticipated Endowment Assurance, Joint Life Insurance, Children Policy, and 10 Year policy in Rural Postal Life Insurance and such other schemes as may be introduced by the Department of Posts from time to time.
(37) “Surrender Value” of a policy means the amount that is payable to an insured, when he foregoes the contingent benefit of his policy and surrenders it for an immediate cash payment, provided at least 36 premiums have been paid and policy has completed minimum 36 months duration.
(38) “Void” means a policy which is less than three years duration and any premium(s) that have become due, not paid either on the first day of the month for which the premium is due or within the period of grace.
(39) “Whole Life Insurance” means a life insurance contract entered into by Government to pay a given sum of money, on the death of an individual, to his legal representatives or assigns provided the policy is in force on the date of death.
GENERAL RULES:
Eligibility conditions for Postal Life Insurance
6. The following persons are eligible to the benefits of the Post Office Life Insurance fund provided their age is not less than 19 years and not more than 55 years on the next birth day on the date of proposal, except in case of Anticipated Endowment Assurance, Joint Life and Children policy for which the minimum and maximum age limits are prescribed separately:-
(1) All permanent and temporary employees of Central/State Governments, Universities established by Governments (Centre/State), Gramin Dak Sewaks, Government Aided educational institutions, Nationalized Banks, State Bank of India, Subsidiary Banks of State Bank of India, Financial Institutions notified by Government, Defence personnel (Army, Navy, Air Force), Personnel of para military force including Assam Rifles, ITBPF, CISF, BSF and CRPF etc., Regular employees of Public Sector Undertakings7 (Centre and State), Regional Rural Banks8,10, Permanent & temporary servants of local bodies paid from “Local Funds” as defined in Fundamental Rule 9 (14).
(2) All permanent and temporary employees of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, The Medical Council of India, The Dental Council of India, The Nursing council of India, and The Pharmacy Council of India9.
(3) Industrial and Work-charged employees in the Department of Posts and Department of Telecommunications whose pay is regulated under the “Fundamental Rules”.
(4) All permanent and temporary employees of autonomous body established by stipulated rules of Centre/State governments9.
(5). Members of the Defence Services including those holding short service commission, extended service commission and other kinds of non-permanent commissions are also eligible to join the fund.
NOTE 1: - If a member of the Defence Service is transferred to Reserve then his policy shall be converted into cash policy for payment of premium in cash at the post office of his choice on or before last day of the month to which the premium relates. If the last day happens to be a Sunday or a Postal holiday, the amount should be paid on the previous business day.
Limits of Sum Assured in Postal Life Insurance
7. Any person who is eligible to the benefit of the Post Office Life Insurance Fund under Rule 6, may effect an insurance- Whole Life Assurance, Endowment Assurance, Convertible Whole Assurance, Anticipated Endowment Assurance and Yugal Suraksha Policy or all of them on his life for a sum not less than Rs. 20,000 in each class but not more than an aggregate of Rs. Ten lac (Rs 10,00,000/-)12,13,14 in respect of one class/all classes of insurance policy(s) taken together. The value of policy shall be taken in multiples of Rs 10,000/-, 11 after minimum limit of Rs 20,000/- i.e. Rs. 20,000/-, Rs 30,000/-, Rs 40,000/-, Rs 50,000/- and so on.
LIFE INSURANCE AND ENDOWMENT ASSURANCE AND OTHER TYPES OF ASSURANCE