COVID-19 pandemic: Centre eases norms to offer 50% salary for 3 months as unemployment allowance to ESIC members who lost jobs

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday eased norms to offer 50% of salary for three months as unemployment allowance to lakhs of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the reports, the allowance will be paid to those who lost jobs between March 24 and December 31 this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the statement, the ESIC has decided to extend the scheme for one more year up to June 30, 2021. “It has been decided to relax the existing conditions and the amount of relief for workers who have lost employment during the COVID-19 pandemic period,” the statement says.

The enhanced relief under the relaxed conditions will be payable during the period of March 24, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Thereafter the scheme will be available with original eligibility condition during the period January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021.

The review of these (relaxed) conditions will be done after December 31 this year depending upon the need and demand for such relaxed condition, it said.

The benefits would be payable 30 days after unemployment as against 90 days earlier, ESIC said in a release after a meeting chaired by Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Thursday.

The Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, which is run by ESIC and provides for the unemployment allowance, has been extended by one more year to June 30, 2021, the release said, adding that the scheme will be available with original eligibility conditions during January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021.

The ESIC has also provided for direct submission of claims by the worker covered under the scheme (insured person) instead of it being forwarded by the last employer. “… the payment shall be made directly in the bank account of insured person,” the release said.