The collection of rural insurance premiums has once again sparked debate at the recent Samtse Dzongkhag Tshogdu. Local leaders call for the Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan or RICBL to take over the responsibility of collecting premiums from the villages, citing concerns over cash handling and administrative burden on tshogpas.
As in previous years, Samtse Dzongkhag Tshogdu once again saw the rural insurance collection issue on its agenda.
They want the RICBL to take over the responsibility as most of tshogpas are not highly qualified. In most gewogs, tshogpas are the ones who collect the premiums.
Bika Raj Rai, Dophuchen Mangmi said “Since it involves the collection of money by the tshogpas, it is a very risky task. Besides collecting premiums, the tshogpas also have to register all the details in excel sheets. They are not highly qualified. It would be better if RICBL could provide an online service or train them properly.”
Concerns over possible cash mishandling and record-keeping issues have been raised multiple times, including during last year’s Dzongkhag Tshogdu.
Despite a formal resolution being forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office and RICBL, the issue remains unresolved.
Pema Tsheten, Manager of RICBL Samtse Branch said “We request the Dzongkhag Tshogdu to continue assisting us in collecting the insurance premiums from rural areas. We only have five staff here in Samtse, and with 15 gewogs, it is not manageable for us to reach every village.”
As per the Local Government Act of 2009, and a standing agreement between the finance ministry, home affairs ministry, and RICBL, the responsibility of collecting rural insurance premiums falls on gewog officials.
However, the RICBL says plans are underway to introduce an online service to pay house insurance premium from next year that will allow rural residents to pay insurance premiums digitally, reducing risks and paperwork for local leaders.
Until then, the corporation is requesting local leaders to continue their support, as both sides hope for a digital solution that could bring ease, safety, and transparency to rural insurance collection.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
