Labour Minister Mandaviya holds meeting with trade unions on ESI scheme

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Union Minister for Labour & Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, on Wednesday, chaired a roundtable meeting with representatives from Central Trade Union Organisations to discuss the formulation of the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme.  

Addressing the trade unions, Dr Mandaviya reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to the welfare of the labour force, recognising it as the backbone of the nation’s economic growth and development.

He added that the trade unions are the voice of our workers, and their insights are invaluable to shaping policies that are not only effective but also fair and inclusive, according to an official statement issued after the meeting.

The Minister invited suggestions from the trade unions regarding the formulation of the ELI scheme. He emphasised that the ELI scheme has been designed to encourage businesses to generate more employment as well as to provide meaningful and sustainable jobs for the youth of our country.

A presentation on the proposed ELI scheme also was made during the meeting.

The ESI scheme is a multi-dimensional social security scheme tailored to provide socio-economic protection to employees in the organized sector against the events of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to the insured employees.

During the meeting, Dr Mandaviya stressed that the input of the trade unions is valuable to ensure that it serves the interests of all stakeholders.

Representatives from various trade unions shared their perspectives on the scheme as well as other labour welfare measures being taken by the government. Dr Mandaviya assured the trade unions that such meetings will be a continuous process and the government looks forward to seeking valuable inputs from trade unions to ensure that policies and schemes are formulated in a manner that promotes fairness, inclusivity and equitable growth.

Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, along with senior officials of the Ministry, were also present on the occasion.

As many as 21.67 lakh new workers were enrolled under the ESI Scheme in June 2024.

The benefits under the scheme include: Insured persons and their families receive medical care, including preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative services. In the event of a death due to employment injury or occupational hazard, the dependents of the deceased insured person receive a monthly payment of 90 per cent of the wage. The dependents or the person who performs the last rites of a deceased ESI member receive an amount of Rs 15,000. The ESI Scheme is financed by contributions from both employers and employees. The employer's contribution rate is 4.75 per cent of the wages payable to employees, while the employee's contribution rate is 1.75 per cent.

--IANS

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