LIC portal's default language switches to Hindi, irks customers

CHENNAI: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), India’s largest insurance company as well as the largest institutional investor on Tuesday irked its customers across India, especially in non-Hindi states, as its web portal home page’s language completely changed to Hindi.

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has faced criticism from customers across India, particularly in non-Hindi speaking states.

The company's website homepage suddenly changed to Hindi, causing inconvenience and surprise among its users.

This change has raised concerns about language inclusivity and accessibility.

Many customers took to social media to express their disappointment and frustration, highlighting the importance of having a website that caters to diverse language speakers.

In a country with multiple official languages, it's essential for institutions like LIC to ensure their online platforms are accessible and user-friendly for all.

The Congress party's Kerala unit criticised LIC for suddenly changing its website's language to Hindi, causing difficulties for non-Hindi speakers.

“Even though the option to switch to English is given, it is hidden and you need to know how to read in Hindi to figure it out. What was wrong with an older website where English was the default language? What do citizens from non-Hindi speaking states do?,” the grand old party’s official social media handle questioned.

CPM MP from Madurai Lok Sabha constituency, Su Venkatesan, flayed the Centre for attempting to impose Hindi by compromising LIC’s business and profit.

However, a senior LIC official clarified DT Next that the change was due to a technical glitch and that they are working to resolve the issue and provide a solution that accommodates all language speakers.

The official also denied any instruction from higher authorities to impose Hindi on the website.