ESIC Health Insurance: The Central government has proposed to increase confinement (maternity) expenses paid to an insured woman or an insured person for his wife under ESIC’s health insurance scheme to Rs 7,500 from Rs 5,000. In a draft notification issued on Monday, the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment called for increasing the benefit.

 

The Ministry of Labour and Employment issued a draft notification for increasing the benefit on Monday and called for increasing the benefit.

According to the draft notification, stakeholders have been given 30 days’ time for providing their feedback on the proposal to hike maternity benefit under the ESI Scheme run by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Thereafter, the government would consider the feedback and make the final call.

The notification proposes to change Rule 56A of the Employees’ State Insurance (Central) Rules, 1950, substituting the words “rupees five thousand” with “rupees seven thousand five hundred”. Under Rule 56A, an insured woman or an insured person in respect of his wife is paid ₹5,000 per case on account of confinement expenses.

 

The benefit is available in those cases where the confinement occurs at a place where necessary medical facilities under the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme are not available. The expenses are paid for two deliveries only.

 

In the meantime, government data shows that around 4.63 lakh new members joined the ESIC-run social security scheme in May 2020 as against 2.55 lakh subscribers in April this year.

 

As many as 8.21 lakh new members had joined the scheme run by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in March 2020, against 11.83 lakh subscribers in the previous month, according to the payroll data released in May.

What is the ESIC Health Insurance Scheme
Employees’ State Insurance (abbreviated as ESI) is a self-financing social security and health insurance scheme for Indian workers. The fund is managed by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) according to rules and regulations stipulated in the ESI Act 1948. ESIC is a Statutory Body and Administrative Ministry is Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.
The act was initially intended for factory workers but later became applicable to all establishments having 10 or more workers. As on 31 March 2016, the total beneficiaries are 82.8 million.