In a rare instance, a city-based transgender activist has got an insurance policy from the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for herself by enrolling under the “third gender” category.
Though LIC introduced this option in 2016, according to activists and insurance consultants, 31-year-old Amulya Chandrashekar’s is among the first such instances anywhere in the country.
LIC’s decision in 2016 was in line with the Supreme Court’s 2014 verdict recognising transgender persons as the third gender.
“I always wanted to enrol for a life insurance policy but was not sure if any company had the option for third gender. When I learnt that LIC had, I was very happy,” Ms. Amulya, who is employed with Ondede, a community organisation working for rights of transgender persons and sexual minorities, told The Hindu on Tuesday.
Tedious process
She said the process of getting enrolled was tedious as she had to submit a lot of documents, including those related to her transgender identity. “Such documentation is difficult as most of us are not employed in the organised sector,” she said.
Sham C., the LIC consultant attached to the Residency Road branch, claimed this is the first such case of a transgender enrolling for a life insurance policy. She has enrolled for the Jeevan Labh policy.