Udupi: The Common People Welfare Association, under the leadership of its President, G. A. Koteyar has demanded that for the largely working people those who have below Rs.15,000/- salaries should be taken to ensure that these workers enroll themselves under ESIS (Employees State Insurance Scheme).

Addressing to the media persons in Udupi, G.A. Koteyar said that the scheme is an integrated measure of Social insurance as well as health care embodied in the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 and it is designed to accomplish the task of protecting employees against the impact of incidences of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to insured persons and their families.

He said that the ESI scheme applies to factories and other establishments namely Road Transport, Hotels, Restaurants, Cinemas, Newspaper, Shops, Educational and medical institutions wherein 10 or more persons are employed. Employees of the aforesaid categories of factories and establishments drawing wages upto Rs. 15,000 a month are entitled to social security cover under ESI Act.

The ESI Scheme is financed by contribution from employees’ and employer. The rate of contribution by employer is 4.75 percent of the wages payable to employees. The employees contribution is at the rate of 1.75 percent of the wages payable to an employee.

Benefits under ESI Scheme would be sickness benefit, disablement, dependants’, maternity and medical benefits. Confinement expenses, funeral, vocational rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, unemployment allowances and skill upgradation training benefits provided.

He demanded that government should also come forward to take up the scheme for effective implementation. He noted that the Kerala and Delhi governments have made it compulsory for all the workers. Kerala government will also include auto rickshaw and taxi drivers under the scheme.

Koteyar said the designated hospitals in the district are KMC Manipal, Prasad Nethalaya, High Tech Hospital and Adarsh Hospsital in Udupi. There are more than 10,000 workers in hotel industry in district who are only 10% have been involved under the scheme.

Along with G. A. Koteyar, M. Mahesh Secretary, Jayaraj Kulal, Treasurer, Veena Dipak Legal Advisor and Narasimha Murthi Advisor were present during the press meet at Udupi.