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“Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation.” is the sacrosanct preamble of Insurance Industry, regulator and other allied institutions being used for thousands of years. These golden words are used prominently in all the advertisements in print as well as visual media. These golden words are also used without fail in all brochures, leaflets, handbills, posters, banners, hoardings including policy benefit illustrations, certificates / documents etc. by all the insurers whether life or non-life without fail. But the question is whether these insurers do understand its meaning and purpose of its use so vigorously? Do all insurers follow the true spirit of this preamble? As per analysis of these golden words, it says that insurance always is to be solicited only but by whom – by a human or by a non-human has never been clarified till this day? How solicitation can be performed by non-human being is a million dollar question? Insurance is never bought by individuals and is always sold after a lot of convincing to the person and explaining the relevant terms and conditions of the insurance buying. Insurance is intangible and invisible too like many other commodities and that is the reason it needs special selling skills too. Of course, its impacts are visible in the form of the benefits of Insurance Policy. Insurance requires special skill to get it sold. It is said that if a person can sell insurance successfully, s/he can sell anything to anyone in the world. For past several years, a new channel has evolved in the field of insurance selling and it is known as ON-LINE channel. This channel flouts the spirit of the preamble of the insurance “INSURANCE IS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF SOLICITATION” openly and the regulator ignores it fully to the best of their knowledge. Who sells insurance on this channel – it is the insurer itself who sells the insurance. Who buys the insurance – it can be anyone from the general public. But the most important question is whether the general public – who is net-friendly – understands the importance of buying the insurance FULLY and the terms and conditions of the insurance policies offered in fine & smaller prints bought by them or neglects them to understand wilfully. Who is soliciting the insurance is the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION in this mode of insurance selling? Of course, insurers are safeguarding themselves by seeking the acceptance from insurance seekers that they had understood the plan, its benefits along with all terms and conditions. Insurers never explain anywhere that for all service related issues pertaining to the plan they are buying ON-LINE, insured and / or the nominee has to visit the nearest branch or have to contact insurers on-line ONLY. Insurance seekers after buying the insurance has to depend Call Centres, IVRS etc. which is frustrating. No insurers maintain the quality of these call centers nor monitor them to best of their knowledge for the benefits of their own customers. General public does not understand the difference between the commodities they are buying on-line and the insurance policies purchase on-line. Whose responsibility is to explain it in bold and unambiguous words to the general public? Insurance policies are attached to many strings in the form of lots of terms and conditions and the language used is never so simple to understand. Moreover, these terms & conditions are never parted to the client in vernacular by any insurer before buying in advance. Further, they require a lot of services in the future as well as the insurance policies are for always for a long term in nature. These includes change of address, contact numbers; change of nominee etc. Public is offered some discount in the premium and advised that the premium is lesser because the insurer has not to pay any commission / service charges to the intermediary. It is just to befool the on-line customer. And then for all services required in future, s/he has to pay charges to the insurers. The difference in premium between on-line channel and off-line channel is not fully paid to the intermediary nor passed on to the on-line customers. No insurers commit themselves to pay this huge difference to the intermediaries exclusively. The insurers are retaining bulk of differential amount themselves with them only at the cost of intermediaries. The Officers of the Insurers feel great before print and visual media in making announcements that their plans are available on-line and at a much lower premium. These officers also bring bad names to the intermediaries as if they are earning in a non-prescribed or illegal way with foul means and do not put any effort in bringing the business to the insurer. The insurers never pass on the full benefit to the insurance seekers or the intermediaries. The regulators has also ignored this issue till this date. Whether the regulator will look into the true and genuine fact that ON-LINE selling of insurance plans is in FULL & COMPLETE VIOLATION of their sacrosanct preamble “INSURANCE IS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF SOLICITATION’ and should not be allowed to be sold ON-LINE as the regulator has to / should safeguard the interests of the general public at large. The regulator is further requested to de-link the string of intermediary being attached to one insurer only for the benefit of the general public at large. The intermediary should be able to advice the best available plan to the public and should not offer the plans of the insurer with whom s/he is attached as s/he is not benefitted in any way monetarily or otherwise by the insurer. The insurer neither provides quality training to the intermediary nor assist in any way to the intermediary when s/he is in need of financial help. Then, why the intermediary is tied up with the single insurer permanently. The insurer does not pay to the intermediary if the intermediary decides to leave the insurer or switch to some other insurer for his / her own reasons. The unpaid future premiums is retained by the insurers only. Recently, Madras High Court had passed the order that renewal commission must be paid to the intermediaries even after resigning the job. But, no insurers had paid any attention to it. Earlier too, IRDAI had ordered that orphan policies must be allotted to the working intermediaries but no insurer had paid any attention to it till this day. IRDAI had also put the instructions to all insurers that no development officers should run their own agencies but all development officers (both life and non-life) are running their own agencies to the fullest knowledge of the IRDAI. These development officers are not only earning their salary and other related benefits but are earning huge commission through their own agencies in the name of their family members / relatives etc. but are using the entire resources for their own benefits and never help any individual intermediary. Is there anyone who would come forward for doing the justice to the intermediary fraternity?