DIRANG, 8 Jul: The National Insurance Company Ltd has approved an insurance policy for yaks, following relentless efforts by the National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) here in West Kameng district.
This will address the long-pending demand of yak owners for financial assistance in the face of climate vagaries and uncertainties.
“The countrywide population trend shows that yak population has been decreasing at an alarming rate. Further, climate change and inexplicable changes in the weather pattern have been reported from the yak rearing areas throughout the country. More than 500 yaks died in a single spell of heavy rainfall in the north Sikkim area in 2019, leading to heavy financial burden on the owners,” the NRCY informed in a release.
The insurance policy will shield yak owners against the risks posed by weather calamities, diseases, in-transit mishaps, surgical operations and strike or riots.
NRCY Director Dr Mihir Sarkar termed it “a landmark development in providing financial security to yak rearing communities in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.”
As per the policy, in order to get their animals insured, the yak owners would have to get their yaks ear-tagged and provide proper description. For getting the claim, the owner has to submit the completed claim form, death certificate from the veterinary practitioner, the postmortem report, and the ear tag.
“Also, there has to be a 15-day waiting period to claim the amount, that is, death of an animal due to some disease within 15 days from the commencement of the risk is not payable,” the centre informed.