AGARTALA, December 30 (TIWN): Tripura Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) targeted for depriving the employees of the state. Allegedly the employees of the state Tripura are getting deprived from the state ESIC facilities at large. According to the locals, the employees of some non seasonal organization in the state are not getting the benefit under the state ESIC scheme.A section of some deprived employees alleged that under the ESIC scheme when any person goes to the pharmacy shop and asked for a prescribed medicines, they had to return back empty handed, as the medical shopkeepers makes it unavailable. Whereas, as per the Act, 12%is being deducted from one’s salary every months. It is being seen that any individual working under a non seasonal organization goes to ESIC to get a benefit of the health care facility, they referred the person to the GB Pant hospital to get prescribed from a doctor. And later when accordingly the person goes to a pharmacy for the prescribed medicines, they had to return back empty handed after the shopkeepers makes the medicines prescribed by the doctors under the ESIC scheme, unavailable.

It was also alleged that the state ESIC do not clear a bill with the pharmacies and as a result the consumers are getting deprived from getting their prescribed medicines from pharmacy. Though it is to be mentioned here that the state ESIC has been deducting 12% from the salary of the employees who comes under the scheme but this results no outcome for the employees, and are getting deprived from getting the facilities of ESIC.

Under Section 1(5) of the Act, the Scheme has been extended to shops, hotels, restaurants, cinemas including preview theatre, road motor transport undertakings and newspaper establishment employing 20 or more persons. The existing wage-limit for coverage under the Act, is Rs.10,000/- per month (with effect from 1.10.2006).

The ESIC Scheme is being implemented in various phases area-wise across India. The Scheme has already been implemented in different areas in various States/Union Territories across India except in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

The Act is applicable to all non-seasonal factories that utilize power providing employment to 10 or more individuals as well as factories not utilizing power employing 20 or more individuals for wages on any day in areas wherein ESIC Act has been implemented.