MAM
IRS Q2 2012: Magazines too see slump in readership
MUMBAI: Malayalam fortnightly magazine Vanitha continues to lead the list of most read magazines in the country, according to the latest Indian Readership Survey conducted by the MRUC.
The publication, however, clocked a decrease in the All India Readership (AIR) at 2.353 million in the second quarter of the calendar year 2012 as compared to 2.444 million in the first quarter.
The second place on the list continued to be occupied by Hindi monthly publication Pratiyogita Darpan with a readership of 1.918 million from 1.893 in Q1. Another Hindi monthly magazine Samanya Gyan Darshan figured on the number three spot, having also increased its AIR from 1.644 in Q1 to 1.664 in Q2.
Jumping up two places on the list, Bengali weekly Karmakshetra (Q1 AIR: 1.142 million; Q2 AIR: 1.168 million) stood at number seven in Q2, sending previous quarter‘s number seven Cricket Samrat (Q1 AIR: 1.176 million; Q2 AIR: 1.135 million) and Malayalam weekly Malayala Manorama (Q1 AIR: 1.163 million; Q2 AIR: 1.113 million) to number nine.
The pecking order of Hindi magazines remained unchanged with Patiyogita Darpan in top position followed by Samanya Darpan. Fortnightly publication Saras Salil was at number three, but saw a drop in AIR at 1.548 million in second quarter as compared to 1.601 million in Q1. Seven out of the 10 publications saw a drop in AIR for the second quarter of 2012.
Amongst the English magazines, India Today retained its top spot though its readership decreased from 1.613 million in first quarter to 1.554 million in Q2. Second spot holder General Knowledge Today saw a spike in readers, albeit marginal, from 1.086 million to 1.087 million in second quarter. Stardust jumped up one spot to occupy the seventh place with AIR at 416000. The week suffered decline in readership (Q1 AIR: 418000; Q2 AIR 397000) and thus slipped down two places to number nine.
The language magazines saw two major changes in the pecking order. Last quarter’s second spot holder Malayala Manorama swapped places with Bengali weekly Karmakshetra which held third position in the first quarter. Malayalam weekly Balaram (Q1 AIR: 787000; Q2 AIR: 738000) was bumped down to number eight by same language weekly Mathrubhumi Thozhil Vartha (Q1 AIR: 735000; Q2 AIR: 782000) which ranked at number seven in the second quarter.
Buying family medical insurance online in India has become a common option for individuals who want to secure health coverage for multiple family members under a single policy. However, many buyers are unsure about the exact steps involved in selecting and purchasing the right plan online.
In this guide, you will know the step-by-step process of buying family medical insurance online in India, along with the key factors to review before purchasing a suitable policy.
Step 1: Assess Your Family’s Healthcare Needs
Before buying online health insurance, check the healthcare needs of all family members. Check age, existing illnesses, regular medicines, and the likely need for hospital care later. This helps in selecting a suitable sum insured, policy type, and level of cover. It also reduces the chance of buying a plan that appears suitable but does not meet actual medical needs.
Step 2: Visit the Insurance Company’s Official Website
After understanding the family’s needs, visit the insurer’s official website and read the plan details carefully. Use the official platform to review eligibility, policy wording, waiting periods, cover details, exclusions, and renewal terms.
This step gives a clearer understanding of how the policy works before payment is made. It also helps avoid confusion caused by incomplete summaries on other pages.
Step 3: Compare Available Family Health Insurance Plans
A family medical insurance policy should be compared on factors beyond the premium. Review the sum insured, hospital network, room rent limits, pre- and post-hospitalisation cover, daycare treatment coverage, and waiting periods. It is also important to check treatment sub-limits and specific policy conditions.
Careful comparison helps determine whether a plan provides balanced coverage and whether its terms are suitable for the healthcare needs of the entire family.
Step 4: Choose the Right Policy and Start the Online Purchase
Once the options have been compared, select the policy that best fits the family’s medical needs and budget. Before starting the application, review the covered members, policy term, benefits, and main conditions again. This is an important stage because errors here can lead to the wrong cover amount, an unsuitable variant, or missing details that create problems during policy use.
Step 5: Calculate the Premium Using an Online Calculator
Use the online premium calculator before making the final choice. Enter the correct details, including age, city, number of insured members, and selected cover amount. The result helps in understanding the expected premium and whether the policy fits the annual budget. This step is useful because it allows cost and coverage to be reviewed together, instead of choosing a plan only because the premium looks lower.
Step 6: Fill in Personal and Medical Details
When filling in the proposal form, provide accurate details for each insured member. This includes name, date of birth, contact details, medical history, ongoing treatment, and previous insurance information if required.
Every answer should be complete and truthful. Incorrect or missing details can create difficulty later. Before you submit the form, read every section again and correct any mistakes.
Step 7: Make Payment Through the Secure Payment Gateway
After checking the form, go to the payment page and complete the transaction through the secure payment gateway. Review the premium, policy term, and entered details once more before confirming payment.
After the transaction is completed, save the receipt, reference number, or confirmation message carefully. Keeping this record is useful if you need to track the purchase or follow up on policy issuance later.
Step 8: Download and Keep Your Policy Document Safely
Once the policy is issued, download the policy document, schedule, and any related papers without delay. Read them carefully to confirm member names, policy period, sum insured, and major terms. Save a digital copy in a secure folder and keep a printed copy if needed. Proper record keeping makes future renewals, document checks, and policy servicing easier and more organised when information is required quickly.
Conclusion
Buying health cover online becomes easier when you handle each step with attention. From checking your family’s needs to reading the final document, every stage helps you make an informed choice. A careful approach can reduce mistakes, improve your understanding of policy terms, and help you choose coverage that matches your household’s medical needs, financial capacity, and long-term healthcare planning in a reliable way for your family over the long term.
