It is a comprehensive Social Security Scheme designed to accomplish the task of socially protecting the '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 and their families.

The scheme provides full medical care to the employee registered under the scheme during the period of his incapacity for restoration of his health and working capacity. It provides financial assistance to compensate the loss of his/ her wages during the period of his abstention from work due to sickness, maternity and employment injury. The scheme provides medical care to his/her family members also.

The ESI Scheme is administered by a corporate body called the 'Employees' State Insurance Corporation' (ESIC), which has members representing Employers, Employees, the Central Government, State Government, Medical Profession and the Parliament. The Director General is the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation and is also an ex-officio member of the Corporation.

At the National level, the Standing Committee (a representative body of the Corporation) for administering the affairs of the Corporation, and the Medical Benefit Council, a specialized body that advises the Corporation on administration of Medical Benefit, are functioning.

At the Regional Level, the Regional Boards and Local Committees have been constituted to review the functioning of the scheme and make suggestions for its improvement.

The ESI scheme is a self financing scheme. The ESI funds are primarily built out of contribution from employers and employees payable monthly at a fixed percentage of wages paid. The State Governments also contribute1/8th share of the cost of Medical

According to the notification issued by the appropriate Government (Central/State) concerned under Section 1(5) of the Act, the following establishments employing 10 or more persons attracts ESI coverage.

• Shops
• Hotels or restaurants not having any manufacturing activity, but only engaged in 'sales'.
• Cinemas including preview theatres;
• Road Motor Transport Establishments;
• News paper establishments.(that is not covered as factory under Sec.2(12));
• Private Educational Institutions (those run by individuals, trustees, societies or other organizations and Medical Institutions (including Corporate, Joint Sector, trust, charitable, and private ownership hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centers, pathological labs).
  In some states coverage is for 20 or more employees for wages. A few State Governments have not extended scheme to Medical & Educational Institutions.

Registration is the process, by which every factory/ establishment, to which the Act applies, is identified for the purpose of the ESI Scheme, and their individual records are set up for them.

Yes, it is the statutory responsibility of the employer under Section 2 –A of the Act read with Regulation 10-B, to register their Factory/ Establishment under the ESI Act within 15 days from the date of its applicability to them.

The Factory or Establishment to which the Act applies is to be registered by logging into ESIC Portal i.e. www.esic.in The employer is supposed to sign up, providing company name, principle employer's name, State and region as well as e mail address. The employer trying to register would get a password into his mail id. The employer can log into www.esic.in and his mail ID can be used as user ID and the password received has to be accessed from the mail box to be used to register his unit by providing information in the Portal. Automatically a 17 digit code number is generated after successful registration.

It is a 17 digit unique identification number allotted to each of the factory/establishment registered under the provisions of the Act. Such a number is generated through ESIC portal on submission of the pertinent information by the employer or generated on receipt of Survey report from the Social Security Officer.

This is also a unique identification number allotted to a sub-unit, branch office, sales office or Registered Office of a covered factory or establishment located in the same State or different State. The employer can register any Branch or Sales Office through ESIC Portal using his credentials.

Once a factory or an Establishment is covered under the Act, it continues to be covered notwithstanding the fact that the number of persons/ coverable employees employed therein at any time falls below the required limit or there is a change in the manufacturing activity.

Of course exemption is permissible from operation of provisions of the Act subject to the condition that the employees in a factory or establishment covered are other-wise in receipt of benefits substantially similar or superior to those provided under the ESI Act. The appropriate Government may grant exemption to such factory or establishment for a period of one year at a time prospectively in consultation with ESI Corporation. Application for renewal is to be made three months before the date of expiry of the period exemption.

If the wages of an employee (excluding remuneration for overtime work) exceeds the wage limit prescribed by the Central Government after start of contribution period, he continues to be an employee till the end of that contribution period and hence contribution is to be deducted and paid on the total wages earned by him.

In case the wages of an employee is increased from a retrospective date resulting in crossing the wage limit prescribed, its effect on coverage of that employee is only after expiry of the Contribution period during the currency of which such increase is announced or declared. The contribution on enhanced wages is also payable from the month in which such increase is announced. There is no need to pay the contribution on the arrears for the period prior to the month of declaration/ announcement/ agreement.

An employee who crosses the prescribed ceiling limit in any month at any time after commencement of the contribution period, he/she would continues to be an employee till the end of that contribution period.
Though there is a ceiling limit of wages for coverage of an employee, there is no ceiling limit in the definition of wages for payment of contribution. Hence, contribution is payable on the total wages without any ceiling limit.

Overtime is not a regular and continuous payment, but it is of an occasional nature. If overtime is also taken for wage limit for coverage of an employee, he may be going out of coverage for some time and again coming within the orbit of the scheme, when overtime is not there. This frequent interruption from the scheme deprives him of the benefits admissible under the scheme even after making payment of contribution for a part of contribution period. To ensure continued security and protection, overtime is excluded for determining the wage ceiling for coverage of an employee. However, it is included forpayment of contribution to cover the risk during the period he was on overtime work, and to enable him to draw cash benefits at an enhanced rate also.

With effect from 1-4-2008, the wage ceiling limit for coverage of employees with disability has been raised to rupees twenty five thousand a month. To encourage the employers for employing more employees with disability, the employer is exempted from payment of Employer's share of contribution on the wages paid to the employees with disability for a maximum period of three years from the date of commencement of the contribution period in which such employee with disability is employed. The Central Government shall reimburse this Employer's contribution to the ESI Corporation.

Contribution shall be paid in respect of an employee in to a bank duly authorized by the Corporation within 21 days of the last day of the calendar month in which the contribution falls due for any wage period (Reg. 29 & 31).

The employer needs to file monthly contributions online through ESIC portal on a monthly basis in respect of all its employees after duly registering them. Through this exercise, the employer has to file employee wise number of days for which wages paid & the amount of wages paid respectively to ascertain the amount of contributions payable. The total amount of contribution (both the shares) in respect of all the employees for each month is to be deposited in any branch of SBI in cash or by cheque or demand draft on generation of such a challan through ESIC portal using credentials. Contributions can be paid online through SBI internet banking too.

Any sum deducted by the Principal employer from wages under the ESI Act shall be deemed to have been entrusted to him by the employee for the purpose of paying the contribution in respect of which it was deducted (Sec. 40(4). Non-payment or delayed payment of the Employee's contribution deducted from the wages of the employee amounts to ' Breach of trust' and is punishable under IPC 406.

An employer who fails to pay the contribution within the limit prescribed under Regulation 31, shall be liable to pay simple interest at the rate of 12% per annum in respect of each day of default or delay in payment of contribution ( Regulation 31-A).

1. The employer is liable for prosecution under Section 85(a) and 85 A of the Act.

2. The Corporation may levy and recover damages at the following rates, not exceeding the amount of contribution payable for default or delay in payment of the contribution. Period of delay Rate of damages in % p.a.

In addition to the Muster roll, wage record and books of Account maintained under other laws, the employer is required to maintain the following registers for ESI:-

Registration is the process of obtaining and recording information about the entry of an employee into 'insurable employment', for the purpose of his identification under the Act.

Registration of employee is the process of identification to provide the benefits under the Act which are related to the contributions paid by the employer on behalf of each of the insured persons.

At the time of joining the insurable employment, an employee is required to provide his and his family details to the employer along with a family photo so that the employer can register the employee online. This exercise of registering an employee has to be a onetime exercise in life time of an employee. The insurance number generated on the first occasion of registration is to be used throughout his life time irrespective of change of employment including change of place.

On registration under the scheme the employer can take a print out of the temporary identity certificate, affix the photo provided by the employee and authenticate it for use which is valid for a period of 3 months. As soon as possible but not later than a month, the insured person along with his entire family should get themselves enrolled to obtain a"Pehchan Card". This identity card serves as a means of identification both for availing medical benefit at dispensary/ hospital and availing cash benefits at the ESI branch Office. Any changes in his residence/ dispensary/ employment can be carried out by the employer in the Portal as and when arises.

Medical benefit means the medical attendance and treatment to the insured persons covered under the Act and their families as and when needed. This is the only benefit provided in kind through the State Governments (except in Delhi), and uniform to all as per their requirement without linking it to their wages and contributions.

Full range of Medical, surgical & obstetric treatment consisting of out-door treatment, inpatient treatment, supply of all drugs and dressings, pathological and radiological investigations, prenatal and post-natal care, super specialty consultation & treatment, ambulance services, provision of artificial appliances etc.

The insured person and his family are entitled to the Medical Benefit from the very first day of his/her joining the insurable employment. A person who is covered under the scheme for the first time is eligible for medical care for self and family for three months. If he/she continues in insurable employment for three months or more, the benefit is admissible till the beginning of the corresponding benefit period. If contributions were paid/ payable for not less than 78 days in the said contribution period, medical benefit is admissible till the end of the corresponding benefit period. If the insured person is in ESI coverage for at least 2 years, and contributed for not less than 156 days