ESI insurance needs better awareness and working

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 15, 2014: The insured persons under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) in Mangalore sub division is nearly two lakh, of which 86,737 are employees, others are their family members. The number of factories and commercial establishmentsunder ESI is around  2,000.

The  ESI office has no information about the number of insured persons in last one year. Speaking at Suvidha Sangama, the monthly grievance meeting of the employees and employers organised at the Mangalore sub division office in Navbharath Circle, ESI Mangalore Deputy Director J Verghese said that there was a need to create awareness among employers and employees about getting insured under ESI. “The statistics are available only till 2013 and information about fresh registrations is with the central office. The two lakh insured persons include those from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts,” he said.

The ESIC has been distributing two types of bio metric cards called ‘Pehchan cards’ (recognition cards) to employees and their families which helps them to avail the medical benefit any where in the country. Nearly 70 per cent of the beneficiaries have been provided with the bio metric cards and the process continues.  About the benefits available under the ESI including, medical, pregnancy, disability, cash etc.

All systems of medical treatment like, allopathy, ayurveda, homeopathy, unani are covered under ESI benefit, he said . Grievance meeting is held at the sub division office normally on second Wednesday of every month.