Agents of Change: How Women Are Becoming Key Players in Rural Insurance

The growing participation of women not only supports last-mile outreach but also builds deeper trust in the community

“Many insurers, including us, have started recruiting Bima Vahaks among the women entrepreneurs in the villages. We already have around 2,200 in the pipeline,” said Anuj Tyagi, MD & CEO, HDFC Ergo General Insurance. business line.

While women officers are not new to companies like LIC, the work is usually done by the male members of the family even though the agency is registered in the name of a woman. But now women are starting to take on direct roles.

insurance vehicle

It was the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), which catalyzed the deployment of women as insurance agents through a women-centric insurance distribution channel, Bima Vahak.

This is part of the Bima Trinity model to achieve insurance for all by 2047. There is a digital platform for insurance, Bima Sugam, and an all-in insurance product Bima Vistar as part of this initiative.

The women officers will be employed in the village panchayat level as Bima Vahaks to gain the trust of women in village households. While this is not yet mandatory for insurance companies, some have already gone ahead and started hiring female agents.

And the numbers are increasing. “At Bajaj General Insurance, we are seeing steady progress in how more and more women are choosing insurance as a meaningful entrepreneurial opportunity. Over the past year, the number of women joining us as insurance agents has increased by about 15 to 20 percent,” said Rakesh Kaul, Chief Distribution Officer, Retail Business, Bajaj General Insurance.

Growing participation

What is particularly encouraging is the momentum in rural markets, where this increase is close to 30 percent, according to Kaul.

There are benefits to hiring women as agents. “The women are highly motivated and capable, with strong social credibility in the villages. We will invest six to 12 months in training and enforcement. It is a commission-based model, like any broadcast channel,” Tyagi said.

Women’s growing participation not only supports last-mile outreach, but also builds deeper trust in the community and contributes to a more balanced and inclusive distribution ecosystem, insurers say.

Generali Central Insurance is also hiring interns in the gram panchayats. “We are not calling them Bima Vahak, but I don’t think they are any different from what the government means,” said Alok Rungta, MD & CEO of Generali Central Life Insurance.

The company launched a new channel called WIN – Women Insurance – with 10 full-fledged units. “They have now been confirmed (in the positions) after the first year and are now doing end-to-end sales management. We plan to scale this up to 100 next year,” Rungta said.

With the insurance regulator likely to make hiring of Bima Vahaks mandatory next year, more and more women are expected to drive insurance sales.

Published on November 27, 2025