The Insurance Ombudsman resolved 41,055 grievances, during 2025-26, of which 79 per cent were decided in favour of the policy holders. This was disclosed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) here on Thursday at an orientation programme for insurance ombudsmen. Addressing the Ombudsmen, Ajay Seth, Chairman, IRDAI, said strengthening customer trust was central to achieving higher insurance penetration and realising the vision of inclusive insurance coverage. It was imperative to address recurring instances of mis-selling, enhance public awareness regarding grievance redressal mechanisms and improve the efficiency of insurance intermediation, Seth said. It was also important to focus on complaints pending beyond 90 days, delays in registration of complaints, non-entertainable complaints and increase the number of hearings conducted through video conferencing. M Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, said it was important to approach every grievance with empathy and a strong policyholder-centric perspective. There was also a need for continuous capacity building and adoption of best practices supported by appropriate policies, digital tools and technology-driven processes.Published on May 21, 2026