The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has instructed insurers, including life and standalone health insurers, to settle claims arising from the flood impact in four districts of Assam at the earliest.Advising insurers to mobilise all resources for ensuring immediate service response, the insurance regulator said floods triggered by heavy rain resulted in widespread loss of lives, property (homes and businesses) and infrastructure in the Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat districts of the State.Besides directing the insurers to engage the services of Surveyors, Loss Adjustors and Investigators for quick settlement of the claims, IRDAI wanted the companies to communicate the nomination of a senior executive to the Chief Secretary immediately. Districts reporting large numbers of claims are to be overseen by a designated District Claims Service Head.Insurers are advised to respond/assist the claimants through their 24x7 helplines, special claims desks at district level with delegated claims settlementauthorities for speedy processing and settlement of claims. They are advised to settle claim payments/on account payments at the earliest and also encourage policyholders to use electronic communication wherever possible for correspondence, IRDAI said in a release.There is an urgent need for the insurance industry to take immediate steps to mitigate the hardships of the affected insured population for quick registration and to expedite claim settlement process, it said. Published - August 05, 2026 12:17 am IST