In a bid to keep polluting vehicles in check, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI), the regulatory body for insurance and re-insurance activities in India has issued a new circular to insurance providers, asking them to obtain valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate for the vehicle when renewing the policy.

As per the circular, earlier the Supreme Court had directed insurance companies not to insure, a vehicle unless it has a valid PUC certificate on the date of renewal of the insurance policy. The insurance regulatory body has directed all general insurance companies to ensure that the direction of Supreme Court is followed scrupulously with a special focus on compliance in the Delhi – NCR.

It maybe recollected that in September 2019, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a letter to all states and union territories in India asking them to ensure all PUC centres start uploading vehicle PUC certificates to the online registry, thus linking the vehicle emissions data with the Vahan 4.0 online database.