The Hindu Business Line : ESIC invites global bids for selecting service provider

The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) recently floated a global tender to select a service provider who will connect all its offices, branch offices, hospitals and dispensaries through a centralised computer network, according to the ESIC Director-General, Mr P.C. Chaturvedi.

ESIC has 144 hospitals and 1,400 dispensaries across the country.

The IT rollout plan, due to start shortly, would be implemented by September 2010, he said while briefing newspersons at an interactive session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here.

Centralised system

“The new system would have a centralised data centre and the employers would be able to file returns online without having to visit ESIC offices,” he said, adding that a study on the prospect of the project had already been made in association with I-Built.

The centralised system would also help in identification of insured persons (IP) or their family members anywhere in the country through two smart cards distributed to them, he pointed out.

The service provider would need to invest in the project while receiving service charges from ESIC, he added.

ESIC was also planning to amend the Employees’ State Insurance Act soon and the proposed amendments would include simplification of filing of returns and application procedures, covering non-employment injuries under the ESI and provision of appeal for dispute settlement within the department, among others, he said.

The corporation recently issued 10 guidelines with the objective of reducing outsourcing of work by employers as large-scale outsourcing would push a large number of contract workers out of the purview of the ESIC benefits, he observed. Nearly 94 per cent workers in the country were currently not covered under any social security net, he pointed out.

Quota in colleges

Talking about the proposed graduation and post-graduation medical colleges to be opened across the country shortly, Mr Chaturvedi said ESIC has decided to reserve 25 per cent of seats in the colleges as management quota for the family members of the insured persons, employers and the corporation’s own employees. There were plans to launch nine medical colleges in the country in the first phase, out of which two would be in West Bengal, he said adding that the courses would be launched from the next academic session.

ESIC’s total corpus in 2007-08 was Rs. 16,000 crore and revenue Rs 4,000 crore, he said. Its expenditure last year was Rs 2,000 crore, estimated to rise to Rs 3,000 crore in the current fiscal, he added.

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