Benefit from ESIC

 

 

 

The section 46 of the Act envisages following six social security benefits :-

(a) Medical Benefit - the rates and period thereof shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

(b) Sickness Benefit (SB) - the rates and period thereof shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

1. Extended sickness Benefit (ESB)
2. Enhanced Sickness Benefit

(c) Maternity Benefit (MB) -the rates and period thereof shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

(d) Disablement Benefit  - the rates and period thereof shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

1. Temporary disablement benefit(TDB)
2. Permanent disablement benefit(PDB)

(e) Dependants’ Benefit (DB)

(f) Funeral Expenses - the rates and period thereof shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

An interesting feature of the ESI Scheme is that the contributions are related to the paying capacity as a fixed percentage of the workers wages, whereas, they are provided social security benefits according to individual needs without distinction.

Cash Benefits are disbursed by the Corporation through its Local Offices LOs/ Mini Local Offices (MLOs)/Sub Local Offices SLOs)/pay offices, subject to certain contributory conditions.

In addition, the scheme also provides some other need based benefits to insured workers.

These includes :

1. Rehabilitation allowance
2. Vocational Rehabilitation
3. Unemployment Allowance (Under Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana)

Section 46: Benefits

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the insured persons [their dependants or the persons hereinafter mentioned, as the case my be] shall be entitled to the following benefits, namely -

(a) Periodical payments to any insured person in case of his sickness certified by a duly appointed medical practitioner [or by any other person possessing such qualifications and experience as the Corporation may, by regulations, specify in this behalf] (hereinafter referred to as sickness benefit);

(b) Periodical payments to an insured woman in case of confinement or miscarriage or sickness arising out of pregnancy, confinement, premature birth of child or miscarriage, such woman being certified to be eligible for such payments by authority specified in this behalf by the regulations (hereinafter referred to as maternity benefit);]

(c) Periodical payments to an insured person suffering from disablement as a result of an employment injury sustained as an employee under this Act and certified to be eligible for such payments by an authority specified in this behalf by the regulations (hereinafter referred to as disablement benefit);

(d) Periodical payments to such dependants of an insured person who dies as a result of an employment injury sustained as an employee under this Act, as are entitled to compensation under this Act (hereinafter referred to as dependants' benefit);

(e) Medical treatment for an attendance on insured persons (hereinafter referred to as medical benefit); [and]

(f) Payment to the eldest surviving member of the family of an insured person who has died, towards the expenditure on the funeral of the deceased insured person, or, where the insured person did not have a family or was not living with his family at the time of his death, to the person who not living with his family at the time of his death, to the person who actually incurs the expenditure on the funeral of the deceased insured person (to be known as [funeral expenses])

Provided that the amount of such payment shall not exceed [such amount as may be prescribed by the Central Government] and the claim for such payment shall be made within three months of the death of the insured person or within such extended period as the Corporation or any officer or authority authorised by it in this behalf may allow.]

(2) The Corporation may, at the request of the appropriate Government, and subject to such conditions as may be laid down in the regulations, extend the medical benefits to the family of an insured person.