GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared novel Coronavirus (nCoV) as a Global Health Emergency. Here’s a quick guide to knowing all about the deadly virus.

Let’s begin with the obvious, what is Coronavirus?

The coronavirus is a family of viruses that are known to cause illnesses like the common cold to more critical diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new force of coronavirus that has not been identified before in humans. This particular virus is called ‘2019-nCoV’.

Now that we understood what Coronavirus is, so let us understand the Symptoms:

While it depends on the kind of virus, common symptoms are respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), kidney failure and even death. Some coronaviruses can be carried from person to person. This normally happens after close contact with an infected patient.

Now that we have a better idea about the Coronavirus and the symptoms. Let's discuss the dos and don’ts for keeping the disease at bay.

• Observe good personal hygiene.
• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness.
• Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
• People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette, which includes maintaining one's distance while coughing, covering coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and washing one's hands after coughing and sneezing.
• Avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.
• Avoid contact with live animals and consumption of raw or undercooked meat.
• Avoid travel to farms, live animal markets or where animals are slaughtered.
• Indian government has advised citizens to avoid all "non-essential travel to China".

(Based on World Health Organization’s situation report)

The large competition in the market between different companies leads to the launch of several new bikes and scooters by the major brands almost every month throughout the year. All the major companies of India such as Hero Motocorp, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Bajaj, Honda release at least one to two two-wheelers in the Indian market in a single year. When you buy a new bike, you also need to buy insurance for the vehicle. Nowadays, the procedure for getting insurance is quite simplified and direct. Moreover, you can easily renew the bike insurance online without much hassle. Some of the major bikes launched in recent times and about to launch in the coming months in India are mentioned here:

● Recently Royal Enfield trademarked a new name Meteor for its new bike in India which is scheduled to be launched at the beginning of 2020. This bike has a 648cc engine and is supposed to be a derivative of the Interceptor 650 bike. Priced in the range of over Rs. 2 lakhs, this bike has a powerful engine that provides high torque for hill climbing. This bike is being marketed by Royal Enfield as a more affordable Interceptor 650.

● Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR is a high range model of Kawasaki priced at nearly Rs. 17 lakhs for the new age sports bike lovers. It has a 998cc engine and is scheduled to be launched in January 2020. The 203 PS powerful petrol engine can provide a torque of up to 114.9 Nm.

● With unofficial bookings already started, KTM’s new bike KTM 390 Adventure priced at around Rs. 3 lakhs scheduled to be launched at the beginning of 2020 is one of the most awaited bikes of 2020. This bike has a 373 cc engine and has ergonomics that support stand-up biking as well.

● Honda is also set to launch its new bike Honda CB650R in January 2020 to start the new year with a bang. This bike priced in the range of around Rs. to 8 lakhs features a 95.1 PS 649cc powerful engine has no direct competitors in the market at present. Only another bike that comes close to it in features is the Kawasaki Ninja 650 which is currently priced at 5.49 lakhs ex-showroom price.

● While other companies are slated to launch high-end models at the beginning of the next year, TVS is one company which is more focused towards the lower end of the price range. The TVS Radeon BS6 is a BS6 engine model of TVS set to launch in January with a competitive price tag of Rs. 58,000 in the segment.

● Norton Atlas 650 is another high-end model set to be launched at the beginning of 2020 with a price tag that is no less than Rs. 16 lakhs. This bike has a 650cc petrol engine that provides a power of 84 PS.

● Husqvarna is also launching two new variants which go by the names Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 and HusqvarnaVitpilen 401 in the first month of 2020. Both of these bikes are priced in the range of Rs. 2.8 lakhs to 3 lakhs. Both of these bikes have the same 373.2cc engine and are available in different coloured variants.

India is currently a very hot market for new automobiles, and the launch of new bikes is going to interest new buyers who want something different from the manufacturers. Bikes are launching in a wide range starting from TVS Radeon priced at Rs. 58,000 to high-end bikes such as Kawasaki Ninja models which are priced at over 17 lakhs. Whichever of these bikes you have chosen for yourself, make sure that you get new insurance as well as renew the bike insurance online before the due date for continued protection.

One of the most important questions asked these days is, “Do the health benefits of riding a bike outweigh the bad effects of air pollution on the health of the rider?” If this question was asked a few decades back, the answer would have been yes, but if you ask this question to someone in the present time, the answer would most probably be a big fat NO. The rising pollution levels are a very big concern in most of the important cities of India with the worst case being in Delhi where the pollution levels crossed the level of 1000 in the Air Quality Index of measurement of air pollution during the period after Diwali.

Even if you cycle to work or use a cycle to go to different places thinking of cause less pollution then also you are faced with a lot of pollution that is caused by other vehicles. Heavy smog and low visibility are some of the biggest dangers for someone riding a two-wheeler because they breathe this harmful air directly. People inside closed vehicles have their windows closed and they zoom away from the heavy smog areas while contributing to the pollution that affects the two-wheeler riders. In Delhi alone, nearly 85 lakh private vehicles are registered of which around 55 lakh are private two-wheeler vehicles. All these vehicles contribute to the heavy pollution that affects the whole of the city, making it one of the most polluted cities in the world.

One of the most prominent reasons for air pollution caused by vehicles is the usage of more than a decade old vehicles on the road. Such vehicles have old engines and generally do not undergo proper maintenance which makes them unsuitable for plying on roads. Most of them are running on dirty and old BS4 engines and fuels and some even older, thus contributing a lot to the pollution of the air. Most of these vehicles do not have any insurance and the owners do not even make an effort to buy two wheeler insurance online for their vehicle. The pollution that is caused by such two-wheelers or four-wheelers or any other vehicle is faced by none other than the two-wheeler riders. The two-wheeler riders are constantly exposed to such high levels of pollution which have a detrimental effect on their health. Walking, biking or using public transport to your destination are some of the best alternatives to protect the environment but each of these comes with the risk of high air pollution.

Along with the severe levels of pollution that are shown by the extremely high levels on the AQI, heavy smog and haze also reduce visibility which makes it very difficult for riders to ride two-wheelers. One of the most common problems that are faced by people due to air pollution is respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, chronic pulmonary diseases among numerous others. Not only respiratory problems, being exposed to constant high levels of poor quality air affects the internal body of people as well and affects different organs of the body that can lead to cancer, especially of the lung. While riding through this highly polluted air, the riders may face headaches, anxiety and may even feel exhausted while riding through places with high levels of pollution. This not only affects the lungs, which are an internal body part but also irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. These pollutants settle on water bodies and the ground and they may even reach the food chain through one way or the other. If consumed in such a process as liquid water or as food, they harm the body and can lead to many severe diseases.

Air pollution affects the two-wheeler riders at a massive scale but it also affects the other people on the roads as well. No one is safe, and people must start taking care of the environment and one of the best ways to do so is to take proper care and maintain the vehicles that they use daily to commute to and fro.

A home is something every individual requires and aspires for. A place you can come back to after a long and stressful day but purchasing a house is no child's play. It requires a certain degree of commitment and a lot of financial resources. In case you do not have adequate financial arrangements to buy a home, you would rather want to take a house on rent. But if you do have the required resources but are indecisive about buying a new home or renting it, then the following factors determine whether you should buy your own how or rent one: -

●Total income - The basic requirement for buying a house is a steady income. If you wish to buy your own house, you definitely need a high level of income to pay for it. On the other hand, if your income is quite less or irregular, you can opt to rent a house instead of purchasing as rent amount is always less than instalments of the house.

●Loan repayment - The above point brings us to a loan and is quite similar to this one. Let's say you obtain a loan from a reputed bank to buy a house. But would you be able to pay the EMI along with the amount of interest? Do you have enough loan repayment capacity while meeting other necessary expenses? If the answer is yes, then go ahead and buy your house. If no, then renting a house can be the best option.

●Duration of time - A huge factor in the decision of buying a house is the time you plan to live there. If you know that you want to settle in a particular city or region, you can buy a house. However, if the case is not so, you should stay in a rented property to avoid any extra costs.

●Security - If you wish to have a stable base instead of constantly looking for houses or being under the fear of having to empty the property you are currently living in, you should buy a house. You can ensure that your children too would have a strong backup plan if they long for their own house.

●Job certainty - If you have a job that requires you to travel from one place to the other or is not stable, you should avoid buying a house as real estate is not a current form of asset. It might hold you back from changing cities or changing jobs. You cannot predict the growth of downfall of real estate. Thus, buying and selling might not go as per your wish. In such a scenario, renting a house is the best choice as it does not bind you.

●Maintenance expenses - If you own a house, the responsibility of maintaining it falls upon your shoulders. No doubt, you can buy the best home insurance in India, but the damage occurred cannot be undone. Other than that, repairs of leakage inside the house, renovation, repainting and other maintenance expenses would have to be borne by yourself. However, if the house is rented, you need not worry about any such things as the owner will take care of them all.

● Other expenses - If you intend to buy a car, travel extensively, spend on your children's education, make strong retirement plans, or have any sort of other long or short term expenditures, you should take a house on rent. That way you would save some money by not paying instalments of the house and be able to fulfil all other expenses.

Whether you plan to buy a house or rent one is completely your call but do make sure that in either case the property is secured with the policies of best home insurance in India. This way, you can be stress-free and live life peacefully.