STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Jammu and Kashmir Region has been providing comprehensive medical treatment to the beneficiaries of ESI Scheme, besides compensation for salary losses due to sickness, accidents, etc as well as pension benefits to the dependents of employee who dies on duty. It has also been providing unemployment allowances for one year for subsistence under Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana (RGSKY) to those employees who put in 3 years regular service as ESI beneficiary and who are rendered jobless due to closure of their factories or establishment. This social security measure for the erstwhile ESI insured employees enables them to take care of their family and to look for another employment within one year without worrying for subsistence. So far these benefits were available in select areas in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Katra, Udhampur and Srinagar.
Regional Director, ESIC Jammu and Kashmir Arvind Kumar stated that at present over 3500 factories, companies, establishments and institutions comes under the ambit of ESIC scheme covering around 1.10 lakh employees and their family members as beneficiaries. He said that 21 more areas have been covered under ESI Scheme. He stated that these areas would now comprise of all the areas under Jammu Development Authority which are contiguous to already implemented zones including revenue villages Gadi Gardh, Gurha Brahmna, Domana, Nagbani, Patoli Brahmna, Narwal Bala, Thangar, Majeen, Babliana and Barnai in Jammu, Rakhrajpura, Sarore, Raya Morh in Samba and Chak Raju, Chak Ram Singh, Chak Ram Singh Jagatpur, Chak Khuni, SICOP Industrial Complex, IID Centre and entire Municipal Area in Kathua District. He said that the ESI Scheme would come into effect in these areas from 1st December, 2014 and all the coverable employers such as factories, shops, establishments, educational institutions, PSUs, etc should go for registerations under the ESI Act, 1948.