Further to our item last week on January’s earthquake in the Indian state of Gujurat, local general insurers have now revised the assessment of their exposure. Property claims are now expected to be about $120 million – a small proportion of the $4.2 billion estimate to rebuild devastated population centres. The official death estimate now stands at 30,000.

Calls from the Government for speedy settlements of quake claims are likely to be heeded – the insurers are mostly government-owned.