Like in the case of other ombudsmen, a negligible number of the insured (policy-holders) are aware that a public authority called the Insurance Ombudsman exists in India, according to G. Rajeswara Rao, Insurance Ombudsman for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Yanam.
The level of awareness is so low that the ombudsman receives only a few thousands of complaints against the lakhs of claims repudiated every year, he said. The number of such claims rejected by 24 life and 28 non-life insurers in India last year was about four lakh. As the number of petitions submitted to the ombudsman is insignificant, awareness is being spread in different ways.