Left To Right – Mr. B. C. Patnaik Director, National Insurance Academy, Pune | Mr. R. Doraiswamy CEO & MD, LIC | Mr. Swaminathan S. Iyer Member (Life), IRDAI | Mr. Dinesh Pant MD,LIC | Mr. V. Balagopal Chair Professor (Life), National Insurance Academy Thanks & Regards, Ms.Shivani Awalkanthe
Jan 20: The National Insurance Academy (NIA), Pune, successfully hosted the 27th Annual C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Seminar 2026 on Monday, 19 January 2026. The day-long seminar was held on the theme “I.M.P.A.C.T 2047 (Insurance Mobilization for Protection through Availability, Care and Trust) – Advancing Life Insurance Inclusion for Viksit Bharat 2047”, bringing together senior industry leaders, regulators, and practitioners to deliberate on strengthening insurance protection and penetration across India.
The seminar began with a welcome address by Mr. B.C. Patnaik, Director, NIA, Pune, followed by a Special Address by Mr. Dinesh Pant, Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation of India, and a Keynote Address by Mr. R. Doraiswamy, CEO & Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation of India, highlighting the role of life insurance in national development and financial protection. The inaugural session concluded with the Chief Guest Address by Mr. Swaminathan S. Iyer, Member – Life, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), focusing on strengthening insurance penetration and trust in the ecosystem.
The seminar addressed this agenda through three core themes: • Bridging the life insurance protection gap across metro, urban, semi-urban, and rural markets • Optimizing distribution models for life and annuity business to drive penetration and efficiency • Leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance care, transparency, and customer trust
On the occasion of the Seminar, Mr. B.C. Patnaik, Director of the National Insurance Academy, said “Through the 27th Annual C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Seminar, we aimed to create a meaningful platform for dialogue on advancing life insurance inclusion in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The deliberations reflected a strong collective commitment to strengthening availability, care, and trust in insurance, while designing practical and scalable solutions to bridge India’s protection gap and extend financial security to underserved segments.”
Delivering the Special Address, Mr. Dinesh Pant, Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation of India, spoke on the larger social role of insurance in nation-building and its relevance beyond commercial objectives. Reflecting on his association with the National Insurance Academy and drawing inspiration from the legacy of Sir C. D. Deshmukh, he emphasised that the vision of Insurance for All by 2047 must be seen as a national commitment, calling for collective efforts by insurance professionals to strengthen economic security and social resilience.
Keynote Address by Mr. R. Doraiswamy, CEO & Managing Director, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Highlighted the historic importance of 19 January 1956, when life insurance was nationalised, and recalled Sir C. D. Deshmukh’s vision of insurance as a social “gospel” rather than merely a business. The address linked this philosophy to IRDAI’s Insurance for All by 2047 vision, while flagging concerns over the persistent protection gap despite industry growth. Emphasis was placed on simpler products, deeper distribution, and sustained trust-building to meet emerging protection needs.”
Mr. Swaminathan S. Iyer, Member (Life), IRDAI, delivered the Chief Guest’s address, outlining the regulatory vision of “Sabka Bima, Sabki Raksha – Insurance for All by 2047.” He highlighted the need to move beyond traditional measures of insurance penetration toward ensuring universal access to appropriate insurance solutions, while emphasizing innovation, trust, and a customer-centric approach as key enablers of inclusive and sustainable insurance growth in India.
The seminar featured three in-depth panel discussions addressing key aspects of life insurance inclusion. Panel 1 focused on bridging the protection gap across metro, urban, semi-urban, and rural markets through customer-centric product strategies, including need-based and embedded products, community-based models, and data-driven insights to better serve underserved segments. Panel 2 examined optimizing life and annuity distribution through bancassurance, affinity, embedded, and omnichannel models, highlighting agent upskilling, digital tools, transparency, and trust to drive sustainable growth. Panel 3 explored leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance customer care and trust by improving onboarding, policy servicing, claims management, fraud detection, and operational efficiency, while balancing automation with human judgment to ensure a seamless, reliable, and customer-friendly insurance experience.
The 27th Annual C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Seminar 2026 reinforced the importance of collaboration between industry, regulators, and institutions in addressing India’s protection gap and advancing inclusive life insurance solutions aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Mr. V. Balagopal, Chair Professor (Life), and Dr. Sanjay Dayal, Seminar Coordinator, concluded the seminar by thanking all the dignitaries for gracing the occasion and making it a valuable and enriching learning experience.