State Employees Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is preparing to increase the scope of the medical scheme to Rs 30,000 salary.
At present, only employees who get salary of Rs 21 thousand come in this. The new proposal will be brought in the ESIC board meeting. After approval, it will be sent to the central government.
ESIC board member Harbhajan Singh told his own newspaper Hindustan that the members have already given a proposal to the Union Labor Ministry to increase the ceiling. Employees have benefited immensely from this medical scheme during the Corona period. With the increase in the salary limit, another 20-25 percent of the employees in the country will come under this purview. ESIC board meeting is proposed in September. In this the proposal will be made. With the increase in the salary limit, the fund of ESIC will increase. Along with this, employees and their families will also get better treatment.
According to the board member, at present 0.75 percent from the salary of the member of the ESIC scheme and 3.25 percent from the employer is taken. Earlier this contribution was 6.5%. There are 6 crore employees in the country under its purview. 22 lakh workers in UP get the benefit of ESIC Medical Scheme.
Benefits available under ESIC scheme
At present, in the event of death or physical disability of the ESIC insured person, his/her spouse and widow/mother are given a pension for life and children up to the age of 25 years, equal to 90 percent of the average daily wage of that employee. In case the employee is a daughter, she is given this benefit till her marriage.
Under the ESIC scheme all dependent members of the insured or the insured’s family, who are registered in the online portal of ESIC before the diagnosis of covid disease and subsequent death due to this disease, are also dependents of the insured persons who die in the course of work. and are entitled to receive the same at the same level. For this two conditions have to be fulfilled.
First, the IP should be registered on the ESIC online portal at least three months prior to the diagnosis of COVID disease and death due to it. Secondly, the insured must be employed for salary and there should be at least 78 days of contribution in respect of the deceased insured person during the one year immediately preceding the diagnosis of COVID disease which caused the death.
Dependents of the Life Assured, who fulfills the eligibility conditions and has died due to COVID disease, will be entitled to receive a monthly payment of 90% of the average daily wage of the Life Assured during their life. The scheme will be effective for a period of two years with effect from March 24, 2020. Under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) of EPFO, on the death of the member of this scheme, all the surviving dependent members of his family will be eligible to receive the benefits of EDLI.
No minimum service required for payment of gratuity
Presently under this scheme, the benefits given in case of death of the employee have been expanded, no longer requires minimum service for payment of gratuity, family pension is being paid as per the provisions of EPF and MP Act. 70 per cent of the total wages are paid as sickness benefit for 91 days in a year in case the employee becomes ill and does not attend office.
The maximum benefit amount to be given to the next of kin of the deceased employee has been increased from Rs.6 lakh to Rs.7 lakh. The eligible family members of the deceased employees will get a minimum assured benefit of Rs 2.5 lakh, who were members for a continuous period of 12 months in one or more establishments prior to their death. The existing provision provides for continuous employment for 12 months in an establishment.
