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Context:

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) re-launches SPREE for unregistered workers and employers to gain medical benefits.  

About SPREE Scheme

The SPREE (Scheme to Promote Registration of Employers/Employees) provides an opportunity for previously uncovered individuals and entities.

The scheme is active from July 1 to December 31, 2025.

Target Beneficiaries

• Unregistered employers who have not yet enrolled under the ESI Act.
• Left-out workers who are eligible but not yet registered.

Benefits under SPREE

• Employers: Those who register during this period will be considered covered from their registration date or an earlier date they declare.
• Employees: Newly registered employees will receive coverage from their respective registration dates, enabling them to access comprehensive medical benefits.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment stresses that SPREE focuses on voluntary compliance rather than penalization.  

About Amnesty Scheme 2025

To address the backlog of disputes and promote commitment to the ESI Act, ESIC has approved the Amnesty Scheme.

This one-time dispute resolution opportunity runs from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026.

Objective: The scheme aims to reduce litigation and promote compliance with the ESI Act.

Key Features

• For the first time, the scheme includes disputes related to coverage, along with cases involving damages and interest.
• Delegation of Powers: Regional Directors gain new authority to:
  • Withdraw cases where outstanding contributions and interest have already been paid.
  • Withdraw cases filed against insured persons more than five years ago if no notices were issued during that period. This will clear old, dormant cases.

Other Key Decisions by ESIC

Relaxation under RGSKY => Powers are delegated to the Director General, ESIC, to grant relaxation in submitting applications for the Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana (RGSKY). This relaxation applies on a case-to-case basis, extending beyond the usual 12-month limit from the date of job loss. RGSKY provides unemployment benefits to insured persons.

Revised AYUSH Policy => ESIC approves a revised AYUSH policy, to promote holistic, preventive, and wellness-oriented healthcare, thereby enhancing the overall medical services available to ESIC beneficiaries.

AYUSH policy aims to integrate traditional systems of medicine (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) into the ESIC healthcare network.

Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)

It is a statutory body, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.  

It is an autonomous corporation established under the Employees' State Insurance Act 1948, to provide social security benefits to employees in certain establishments in case of sickness, maternity, employment injury, and other related matters, through a vast network of hospitals, dispensaries, and regional/local offices across the country.

ESI Act applies to => All factories employing 10 or more persons. Other establishments (like shops, hotels, restaurants, road transport undertakings, cinema halls, newspaper establishments, educational or medical institutions) employ 10 or more persons (in some states, this limit is 20 or more).

Wage Limit => Employees earning up to a certain wage limit per month are covered. Currently, this limit is ₹21,000 per month (₹25,000 for persons with disability).

Contributions => Both employers and employees contribute a percentage of wages to the ESI fund. 

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Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)

Source: 

THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE