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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday his Government stands in solidarity with the members of those families who have lost an earning member due to Covid-19.
Modi said family pension under ESIC and EPFO-Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme will provide a financial cushion to them.
The Labour Ministry said in a release after Modi’s announcement on Twitter that the ESIC will provide pension to families of those who have died due to Covid and an enhanced and liberalised insurance compensation to dependent family members. They will receive benefit of pension equivalent to 90 per cent of the average daily wage drawn by the worker as per the existing norms. "This benefit will be available retrospectively with effect from March 24, 2020 and for all such cases till March 24, 2022," the release added.
The insurance benefits under the EDLI scheme have been enhanced and liberalised, the Ministry said. "Apart from all other beneficiaries, this will in particular help the families of employees who have lost their lives due to Covid. Amount of maximum insurance benefit has been increased from ₹6 lakh to ₹7 lakh," the Ministry said. The provision of minimum insurance benefit of ₹2.5 lakh has been restored and will apply retrospectively from February 15, 2020 for the next three years
The Ministry said the benefit for families of contractual/ casual workers will also be made available to those employees who may have changed jobs in the last 12 months preceding his death.
"One of the benefits which ESIC provides after death or disablement of a worker due to employment injury, is payment of pension equivalent to 90 per cent of the average daily wage drawn by a worker. This benefit is available to the spouse and widowed mother for life and for children till they attain the age of 25 years. Further, for the female child, the benefit is available till her marriage," the statement from Labour Ministry said.
"In the coming three years, the actuary has estimated that eligible family members will get an additional benefit of ₹2,185 crore from the EDLI fund in the years 2021-22 to 2023-24. The number of claims on account of death under the scheme has been estimated to be about 50,000 families per year,including increase in claims taking into account estimated death of about 10,000 workers, which may occur due to Covid," the release added.
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