A two-day all-India conference of the LIC Agents Organisation of India (LICAOI) appealed to the Centre to ‘save the agents’ and protect the Life Insurance Corporation of India at large.

The new slogan represents a tweak on the original ‘Save LIC and protect agents’ and was coined with a view to ensuring the very survival of LIC, the life insurance behemoth, sources said.

The conference viewed with great concern the threats looming large against agents and their profession, they told Business Line here. Neither the Centre nor the LIC gives them adequate protection.

The two-day conference concluded at Rajahmundry on Tuesday. Over 400 delegates representing an estimated 1.2 lakh agents from all over India attended.

Basudeb Acharia, ex-MP, presided over the opening session while Tapen Sen, MP and national secretary, CITU, inaugurated the conference.

Sen referred to the world economic crisis with special reference to the Indian economy. The attack sought to be mounted on the working class through the new amendment of the Labour Law was worrisome.

May lose benefits Workers may lose their hitherto enjoyed benefits such as ESI and EPF. He dealt in detail with the issues faced by the agents and exhorted them to stand united and confront the attack.

M Babu Rao, ex-MP, explained the political history and appealed to the government to safeguard the interest of the self-employed agents and also to protect the LIC.

Among those who addressed the session included MA Gafoor, general secretary, CITU, Andhra Pradesh; Sai Babu, general secretary, CITU, Telengana; S Prasanna Kumar, general secretary, CITU, Karnataka; Amanulla Khan, national President, AIIEA A(All-India Insurance Employees Association); N. Nagesh, president, NFIFWI (National Federation of Insurance Field Workers of India); Rajani Shesha, Mayor, and V Rambabu, Deputy Mayor, Rajamundri Municipal Corporation; and G Basucha Choudry, MLA.

Office-bearers The conference unanimously elected Basudeb Acharia (president); A Sampath, MP, (working president); and SS Potti, AV Bellarmin, Somnath Bhattacharia , L Manjunath, Surjith Kumar Bose and CA Joseph (vice-presidents).

PG Dileep was elected general secretary. C Krishnan Kutty, M Selvaraj, Jayanta Basu, Manoranjan Sarkar, PL Narasimha Rao, Joy Sebastin Xavier, and MK Mohanan will be secretaries.

AD Joy was elected treasurer. Pranav Sharman, Bibekasis Misra,S Sudhanandam, PN Sudhakaran and Linga Prabhakar Rao were elected as secretariat members.

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