ESI coverage for life

The Union Labor Department is planning to amend the law so that ESI membership can be maintained not only during employment but also till the end of life. This is an idea that brings joy to crores of workers and employees who are working on a fixed income. The ESI Corporation Board meeting has also decided to increase the salary limit for getting ESI cover from Rs 21000 to Rs 25000. The rules will be amended so that even those earning more than Rs 25,000 can avail of ESI cover by paying a fixed contribution if necessary. A sub-committee has been appointed to study the matter. The board meeting also took other decisions beneficial to ESI subscribers. Employees State Insurance is the social security institution that covers many employees like the Employees Provident Scheme. Despite many complaints from subscribers regarding the benefits, ESI has benefited lakhs of members as an organization that can be easily relied upon in times of emergency.

The current ESI rule is that once the salary threshold is exceeded, membership ceases and benefits are denied. It is widely welcomed that even after the salary cap is reached, if the employee so wishes, he can continue to pay the subscription and maintain the membership. Although the final decision will be taken at the next meeting only since an agreement has been reached, only a formal decision is required. There are 12 crore ESI members in the country. The number will rise as the changes take effect. For years, labor unions have been demanding that the rules be revised to provide lifetime benefits to members.

One of the attractive features of the ESI scheme is that the dependents of the members also get the same medical benefits. An amount equal to four percent of the employee's salary is collected every month. The employee's share of the share is only 0.75%. 3.25% is contributed by the employer. Medical benefits of Rs 10 lakh per annum are now provided to members and their dependents. There is a provision to give more than this for very serious diseases. The authority to grant it rests with the Director General of Corporations and the Minister of Labour. An ESI member will be entitled to receive a maximum of Rs.50 lakh like this. Currently, there is a provision to give three months' salary to a member who loses his job due to any reason. It was useful to thousands during the Covid period. The scheme has been extended for another two years at the request of trade unions. Besides trying to provide more facilities in dispensaries and hospitals, it has also been decided to start a few new hospitals. A 100-bed hospital has been proposed at Perumbavoor in Kerala. The state government will have to provide the necessary space for this. A large hospital with 350 beds is proposed in U.P.

It is comprehended that no representatives from Kerala attended the ESI Board meeting held in Chandigarh. This is the situation not only for this year but for the past four or five years. It is not a good approach to not send representatives to a meeting like this, even though the leftists are in power, who are very vocal for the demands of the workers. It is not a good approach for the Left, who are very vocal for workers' demands, to not send representatives to a meeting like this, despite being in power.