Our government is a government for the people, a government of the working poor. We are committed to the welfare of workers. Our government under the dynamic, pro-people Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi has increased accidental death benefits for construction workers from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh and natural death benefits from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. The Cabinet meeting chaired by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi has already approved increase of wages of unskilled labourers to Rs.450, semi-skilled to Rs.500, skilled to Rs.550 and highly skilled to Rs.600 from Rs.352, Rs.392, Rs.442 and Rs.502 respectively.
Presiding over the 85th Regional Board meeting of Employees State Insurance Corporation, Labour & ESI Minister and Chairman, ESIC, Sri Ganesh Ram SingKhuntia expressed that the success of ESI scheme depends on coordinated work of the State Government and the Central Government through the Corporation. The Scheme has already been implemented in 29 districts and the proposal for implementation in Boudh district has already been sent.
Now, we are to provide medical benefit to poor workers working in each and every corner of the State. We also require to provide cash benefit such as death pension (DB), accidental pension (PDB), Maternity Benefit, Sickness Benefit etc. to them.
The medical benefit (primary treatment, secondary treatment, super specialty treatment) is the prime need of every worker. Our focus will be to provide hassle free treatments in ESI Dispensaries and ESI Hospitals run by the Directorate and also in ESI Model Hospital, Rourkela and ESIC Hospital, Angul. Proper treatment, supply of medicines, swachhaata in Dispensaries and Hospitals to be our aim.
The Super Speciality treatments to IPs will not be a problem for us now as declared by the Hon’ble Union Labour Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. Now ESIC beneficiaries will get medical care under convergence programme of ESIC with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
Union Labour Minister, Dr. Mandaviya in 194th meeting of the Corporation held on 8 th October, 2024 has approved in principle for the establishment of 10 new ESIC Medical Colleges in different states. As approved by this Regional Board meeting, a proposal is to be sent to the Union Labour Minister to give in principle approval for establishment of a Medical College on the already allotted land of 25 acres at Andharua, Bhubaneswar in the next meeting of the Corporation, Minister hoped.
Among others in the meeting were Mr. Vijay Amrit Kulange, Labor Commissioner, Mr. Ashok Kumar Panda, Director, ESI Scheme, Mr. Rajesh Agarwal, Additional Secretary, Department of Labor and Employees State Insurance, Odisha Power Generation Corporation General Manager (Human Resources) Mr. Rajendra Kumar Senapati, Director (Human Resources) of Nalco, Mr. Radhasham Mohapatra, General Manager (Personnel) Rourkela
Steel plant Mr. Gyanaranjan Das, Dr. Jayanti Behera of Model Hospital Rourkela, Dr. Parimal Majhi, ESIC Hospital Angul., ESI Hospital Bhubaneswar. Srikanth Debata, Deputy Central Labor Commissioner Shri S. Mr. Sampatkumar, General Manager (Human Resource) of Paradip Phosphates Ltd. Mr. Jagannath Khuntia, Mr. Bishnucharan Mohanty, General Manager of SITU, Mr. Madanmohan Dhal, Vice President of INTUC, Mr. A. Srinivas Rao, from HMG along with Mr. Brajkinkar Nayak gave thoughtful suggestions regarding the various problems observed in the Employees State Insurance Corporation and ESI Hospitals and Dispensaries and their solutions.
In this regional board meeting, issues like upgradation of Rourkela Model ESI Hospital to 200 bedded super specialist hospital, upgradation of 200 bedded Chandrashekharpur Hospital, adequate supply of medicines in 12 new dispensaries established by ESIC, further improvement of Angul Hospital in the vicinity of NALCO, NTPC, TTPS Talcher etc, to provide adequate doctors, paramedical staff, modern medical equipment at ESI Hospitals in Balasore, Rajgangpur, Damanyodi, Rayagada, Khorda and Brahampur, provide security persons employed in private security agencies and electrical workers working in Tata Power Limited, Inclusion of transport workers, asha karmis, anganwadi didis, midday workers in ESI, annual health check-up of beneficiaries regularly, raising the maximum monthly wage limit of workers from Rs.21 thousand to Rs.35 thousand, inclusion of miners in fold of ESI, Chandrashekpur hospital to be provided with ICU, Physiotherapy Unit, MRI and CTscan and other advanced medical equipment, ESI dispensaries to be established at Banai, Rajamunda and Damanjodi, anti-rabies injection to be readily available in all ESI hospitals, Access to ESI benefits for people working in vocational and non-vocational educational institutes, schools & colleges, in unorganized areas like shopping malls, hotels, petrol pumps and hospitals, early settlement of medical bills paid by beneficiaries and filling Khuntuni (Athgarh) Dispensary with more number of doctors, pharmacists, ambulances and adequate medicines as Aarti Steel, Tata Steel Mining, J.K. As Lakshmi, Supreme Industries, Shree Cement and Ultratech Cement factories are discussed in detail.
