According to the provisional payroll data released by the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), in the month of December, 2023, over 18 lakh new employees were added.
Like the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation is one of the main statutory social security bodies under the ownership of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.
The report by ESIC reveals that about 23,347 new establishments have been registered under ESIC. That means more workers have now been covered and brought under the social security umbrella of ESIC.
This also means that more jobs have been created for the youth of India. There is data available to endorse this. Of the total 18.86 lakh employees added, 8.83 lakh employees, that is a good 47 per cent of the total registrations, comprise those that are 25 years of age or below.
Net enrolment of women has been 3.59 lakh in December, as revealed by the payroll data. About 47 transgender employees have also registered under ESI Scheme December, 2023. Clearly, every section of the society is being served and ESIC is upholding its commitment to equity and inclusion.
The promulgation of Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948(ESI Act), by the Parliament was the first major legislation on social security for workers in independent India. The scheme was inaugurated in Kanpur on 24th February 1952 (ESIC Day) by then Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.