By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, DEC 05, 2021: UNION Minister for Labour and Employment and Chairman, ESIC, Bhupender Yadav launched a dedicated pilot programme for preventive annual health check-up for Insured Persons aged 40 years and above at four ESIC Medical Colleges/Hospitals located at Ahmedabad, Faridabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata, in New Delhi yesterday. This will benefit Insured Persons in early detection of diseases. The Minister informed at the meeting that he will himself monitor the progress of Pilot Annual Preventive Health Check-up Programme in 04 ESIC Hospitals, launched today so that the same can be replicated throughout the country.

Speaking at the 186th Meeting of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Yadav exhorted all to work with speed and even more diligence to ensure better social security for the workers of the country and their dependent families. He also called for the States to conduct Regional Board meetings regularly so that the recommendations etc. may be incorporated in the future meetings of ESIC which will be held four times a year.

The Labour and Employment Minister and Chairman, ESIC announced formation of following High Powered Committees in order to improve and strengthen service delivery mechanism of ESIC: -

i.  Rameswar Teli, Minister of State, Labour & Employment will head a Committee on Buildings & Infrastructure of ESI for monitoring the ongoing projects of ESI Hospitals etc. for their completion in time bound manner.

ii.  Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, MoL&E will head Committee on Human Resources to suggest, action plan for Recruitment, Manpower, Transparency and other Best Practices in day to day functioning of ESIC.

iii.  Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, MoL&E will also head a Committee on Information and Technology (IT) for Capacity Building, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Tele-Medicine, online monitoring of Procurement and Dispensing of Medicines.

All the above three Committees will comprise members representing Employees, Employers, State Governments and ESIC.

In order to provide help and succour to the families of the IPs who died due to COVID- 19, ESIC COVID-19 Relief Scheme was introduced. The Corporation today approved relaxation of the contributory condition of payment from 70 days to 35 days for eligibility under this Scheme.

The ESIC meet also approved acquisition of the plot admeasuring 8.7 acres for setting up of 500 bed ESIC Hospital at HSIIDC, Manesar. Approval was also accorded for acquisition of land of 2.024 hectares for construction of 100 bed ESIC Hospital at Meerut, which the Govt. of UP provided free of cost.

In other decisions ESIC approved acquisition of land measuring 5 acres for the purpose of construction of 50 bedded ESI Hospital at Duburi, Odisha (Expandable to 100 beds) and taking over of State run hospital at Tinsukia and its subsequent upgradation to a 100 bedded ESIC Hospital. ESIC also approved the proposal for creation of a Sub Regional Office at Jharsuguda in Odisha.

ESIC also approved a acquisition of plot admeasuring 2.00 acres (8089.07 sq.m) which has been allotted in Atchutapuram, Vishakhapatnam free of cost by the State Government for construction of a 30 bedded ESIS Hospital.

The Annual Report along with its analysis on the activities of the ESIC for the year 2020-21 was approved at the meet and the corporation also adopted the Annual Accounts of the Corporation for the year 2020-21 audited by C&AG.

Rameswar Teli, MoS, L&E and Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt. of India and Vice-Chairman, ESIC; Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, L&E, Govt. of India, Mukhmeet S. Bhatia, Director General, ESIC, Sibani Swain, Additional Secretary & FA, MoL&E, Vibha Bhalla, Joint Secretary, MoL&E and Hemant Jain, Financial Commissioner, ESIC, Hon'ble Members, ESIC representing Employees' & Employers' Federation/Association, Representatives of State Governments and Officers of MoL&E & ESIC also participated in the Meeting.