Approximately 40 million individuals insured under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) will soon be able to access medical treatment at over 30,000 hospitals associated with the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), according to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
This initiative will also extend benefits to the families of insured workers, covering nearly 150 million people. Under the scheme, ESIC beneficiaries will have access to both secondary and tertiary healthcare services.
“The government is working to integrate the ESIC scheme, which caters to organized sector workers, with AB-PMJAY. This will ensure seamless, cashless medical care for more than 144 million people and help expand ESIC coverage in new regions,” Mandaviya stated.
Unlike AB-PMJAY, which has a spending limit of ₹5 lakh per family per year, there will be no financial cap for ESIC beneficiaries availing treatment under the merged system.
Additionally, the minister announced that 15 new districts in Uttar Pradesh will now be included under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme. With this addition, the number of notified districts across India will rise to 689 out of 778. The newly covered districts include Ambedkar Nagar, Auraiya, Bahraich, Gonda, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Kannauj, Maharajganj, Mahoba, Pilibhit, Shamli, Siddharthnagar, Pratapgarh, Kasganj, and Shravasti.
The ESI scheme serves as a comprehensive social security initiative, offering financial and medical protection to employees in the organized sector against risks such as illness, maternity, disability, and death. Insured employees and their families also benefit from medical services.
Additional provisions under the scheme include unemployment allowances, maternity-related expenses, funeral assistance, vocational rehabilitation, and skill enhancement training.
