More than 500 yaks died in a single spell of heavy rainfall in northern Sikkim in 2019, leading to a heavy financial burden on the owners. The countrywide population trend shows that yak population has been decreasing at an alarming rate. Further, climate change and changes in the weather pattern have been reported from the yak rearing areas throughout the country.

The number of yaks across the country declined by almost 24.7% between 2012 and 2019. The National Research Centre on Yaks  (NRCY) has collaborated with National Insurance Company Ltd. to insure yaks. The insurance policy will shield the yak owners against the risks posed by weather calamities, diseases, in-transit mishaps and surgical operations . The total yak population in India is about 58,000. The Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir have some 26,000, followed by 24,000 in Arunachal Pradesh, 5,000 in Sikkim,  2,000 in Himachal Pradesh and about 1,000 in West Bengal and Uttarakhand. 

According to the policy, the owners would have to get their yaks ear-tagged . For claims, the owner has to submit the, death certificate from the veterinary practitioner, the post-mortem report and the ear tag. Also, death of an animal due to some disease within 15 days from the commencement of the risk is not payable. Yaks are indicators of change in temperature on the mountains. The animal finds conditions at below 7,000 feet above sea level intolerable. Rise in temperature forces the yak to go higher, which gives us an indication of fluctuations in the weather. The initiative is a landmark development in providing financial security to yak rearing communities . a landmark development in providing financial security to yak rearing communities