ET NOW Swadesh is set to bring the spotlight on India’s insurance sector with a special four-hour live programming initiative titled ‘Insurance Mahakumbh’, scheduled for April 18, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. At a time when rising healthcare costs, climate-linked risks, and growing financial awareness are reshaping priorities, the initiative aims to deepen understanding around insurance and its role in everyday life.
According to a press release, the initiative is part of Times Network’s continued effort to decode complex sectors and deliver knowledge-led programming. With insurance penetration in India still relatively low—life insurance below 3% and general insurance around 1%—the platform seeks to drive meaningful conversations aligned with the broader vision of “Insurance for All by 2047.”
Structured as an interactive, Q&A-driven format, the programming will cover the full spectrum of the insurance ecosystem, including life, health, and general insurance. The opening session, ‘Insurance for All’, will focus on expanding access and penetration, featuring voices such as Kasturi Sengupta, R. Doraiswamy of LIC, and Narendra Kumar Bharindwal. This will be followed by a key policy address by M. Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, offering insights into the government’s regulatory direction.
Subsequent sessions will dive deeper into specific segments. Discussions on life insurance will bring together industry leaders including Dinesh Pant and Suresh Agarwal, focusing on growth opportunities and evolving consumer needs. The spotlight will then shift to health insurance, with experts like Mayank Bathwal and Sheela Ananth examining the surge in demand and the future of healthcare coverage. A dedicated session on general insurance will feature leaders such as Girija Subramanian and Naveen Chandra Jha, addressing risk coverage across industries and individuals.
One of the key highlights of the initiative will be an extended interactive session, where industry experts including Saurabh Vijayvargiya, Ashwani Ghai, and Amit Chhabra will address real-world consumer queries. The programming will conclude with a forward-looking discussion on the future of insurance, featuring leaders such as Tapan Singhel, Pallavi Malani, and Tarun Chugh, focusing on innovation, digital disruption, and the sector’s growth trajectory.
By bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and new-age platforms, ‘Insurance Mahakumbh’ aims to offer a comprehensive view of the sector—its current challenges, emerging trends, and future potential—while helping viewers make more informed financial decisions in an increasingly uncertain environment.
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