· 90% state that they are likely to take yoga more seriously if organisations conduct in-house sessions
· 65% acknowledge the positive impact of a formal inception of ‘International Day of Yoga’
· 32% feel that yoga is not for the ‘millennials’
Mumbai, June 21, 2016: The government’s efforts towards promoting yoga as an integral ‘way of life and wellness’ seems to be bearing fruit. Ahead of the 2nd ‘International Day of Yoga’ to be observed on June 21, a poll conducted by ICICI Lombard reveals that 65% of the respondents acknowledged that the formal inception of such a day has encouraged them to take the age-old practice more seriously. Furthermore, 52% stated that they are likely to turn towards yoga to combat work-related stress as against outdoor sports (24%) or visiting the gymnasium (10%).
Worryingly however, over half the respondents (51%) stated that their respective organisations neither conduct regular yoga sessions nor does it encourage measures for its employees to take it up. The statistic becomes an important one to ponder upon when one considers that a whopping 90% of them say that they are far more likely to practice yoga regularly should they get the required encouragement from their organisations.
The International Day of Yoga or simply Yoga Day, is celebrated annually on June 21 and was declared to be internationally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 11, 2014. India had made a strong pitch for promoting yoga at the United Nations following which a number of countries had co-sponsored a UN resolution for formally observing June 21 as International Yoga Day. Following this, the first International Day of Yoga was observed world over on June 21, 2015.
Commenting on the survey, Mr. Sanjay Datta, Chief-Underwriting, Claims & Reinsurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. said, "It is heartening to note the perceptible shift of people who are now increasingly looking at yoga as a means towards attaining wellness in all forms. The government’s efforts in getting yoga on the international platform must be lauded and at ICICI Lombard too we have been committed to having our employees embrace the art besides having wellness as a key component of our insurance solutions. The International Day of Yoga provides us with an opportunity to look back at our efforts as we aim to create even more awareness about the long-lasting benefits of practicing yoga.”
The findings threw light on the changing perceptions about yoga in the society with an encouraging number (68%) believing that the art is as beneficial for the millennial generation as anyone with only 32% believing that yoga is still best associated with the ‘older’ generation.
ICICI Lombard conducted the national wide survey in the age group 22-45 to which they received over 1,300 responses spread across 30 cities.
About ICICI Lombard General Insurance
ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd. is a joint venture between ICICI Bank Limited and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, a Canada-based diversified financial services company engaged in general insurance, reinsurance, insurance claims management and investment management. ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd. is one of the leading private sector general insurance companies in India with a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs 83.07 billion for the year ended March 31, 2016. The company issued over 15.80 million policies and settled over 1.62 million claims as on March 31, 2016.
ICICI Lombard General Insurance has won the coveted “Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, 2015. The company has received the award for its continuous contribution to CSR and specially for its ‘Caring Hands’ initiative, an employee volunteering CSR program. ICICI Lombard was also conferred with the ‘E-Business Leader’ Award in the General Insurance Category at the 5th annual edition of the Indian Insurance Award 2015 for its performance, growth, product and market innovation, customer service and technology. ICICI Lombard has also won the prestigious Celent Model Insurer Award, 2016 for legacy and Eco-system transformation.
The company also received the Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award 2015 for innovation across multiple functions of its business operations and promoting the 'culture of innovation', with specific acclaim for the company's approach in 'Mobility Solutions' and 'Customer Centric Initiatives'. ICICI Lombard was also named as the "Best Travel Insurance Company" by CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards 2015 presented by the Chattisgarh Government based on an online and on-air survey.