Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 22: Bari Brahmana Industries Association (BBIA) has alleged that ESI ensured industrial workers are suffering due to non-release of their re-imbursement claims.
A meeting of the BBIA held under the presidentship of Lalit Mahajan in the presence of Tarun Singla, senior vice president, Ajay Langer vice president, Viraaj Malhotra general secretary, Rajesh Jain secretary and Vivek Singhal treasurer and other members to discuss the issue in respect of non- release of payment of reimbursement claims by J&K Labour Department for the purchase of medicines by Industrial workers registered with ESIC due to non availability of the medicine in ESIC hospital/ dispensaries.
It is pertinent to mention here that as per the data available with the Association, at present around 1.25 lakhs IP’s registered in J&K with ESIC as on 31-03-2022 and with the addition of approx three family members of IP’s the total number of beneficiaries gone up to 5 lakhs and accordingly an annual budget of Rs 12 crores has been allocated to the Employees Insurance Society constituted by State Govt under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, J&KUT but till date only Rs. 1.80 crores has been given to the Society during the current Financial Year due to non submission of budgetary provision by Society resulting huge pendency since 2019 amounting to Rs 4 to 5 crores as reported by the Industrial workers piled up with Labour Department as they are running pillar to post for the reimbursement of their hard money.
It was further resolved that it is the responsibility of the Labour Department to provide requisite medicines to State run dispensaries to ensure the availability of the same as prescribed by the concerned doctors and in case of non availability of the same medicines in the ESI dispensaries the reimbursement claims of the Industrial workers should be settled on the production of purchase bills.
BBIA sought the intervention of Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, into the matter.
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