ESI office, Agartala urges workers to avail health facilities

ESI Corporation Branch Office, Agartala in collaboration with Labour Directorate Tripura held awareness camps regarding "ESI Scheme in Tripura on Thursday at Muktadhara Auditorium and on Friday at ESIC Branch Office, Shyamali Bazar. The program was attended by Rajshekhar Singh, Deputy Director, ESIC 1W Delhi, Labour Commissioner of Tripura, CEO of ESI Society Tripura, Dhan Babu Reang, Additional Labour Commissioner Biswajit Paul and Branch Manager of ESIC BO Tripura, Rakesli Kumar Boro.

Delivering his address as the resource person Rajshekhar Singh, Deputy Director, ESIC RO Delhi informed that ESI Scheme is a multi-dimensional Social Security Scheme for workers in organized sectors and their families in contingencies, which provides both cash and medical care to beneficiaries during the time of sickness, employment injury, maternity and death or disablement and host of other benefits.

He said that the ESI Scheme was implemented in the state of Tripura (Agartala) on 01.01.2009 and as of today all the 8 districts of Tripura have been fully covered under ESI Act. Briefing the gathering on the theme, he said that the ESI Act, 1948 applies to factories and other establishments viz. Hotels, Restaurants, Cinemas, Newspapers, Shops and Educational, Medical institutions etc. employing 10 or more workers with wage limit of Rs. 21,000 (Rs 25000 per month for persons with disabilities). He also noted that the Scheme was financed by contribution from employers and employees with a rate of 0.75% from employees and 3.25% from employers. He mentioned that employers with 10 or more workers were to mandatorily register under the scheme through the Shram Suvidha Portal and obtain employer code.

An open discussion session with the employers, employees and the stakeholders was also held during the event and the issues and scopes for better implementation of the scheme in Tripura was discussed in length.