From July 1 onwards, activities of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) will be carried out digitally, said its Director General C.S. Kedar on Monday.
Taking part in the 2011-12 diamond jubilee year celebrations of the ESI scheme, he said they had planned a massive roll out of the IT project, ‘Panchadeep' with an investment of Rs.1,200 crore, which was next only to the Rs.2,000-crore Project Unique Identification Authority of India.
‘Panchadeep' would cover ESIC branch offices, dispensaries and hospitals across the country.
“It will have the medical profile of an employee for five years age-wise, name-wise and the treatment undergone in recent times among other issues. We have already empowered our employees. After the launch, sick employee need not come to my office to collect details or cash benefits,” he told The Hindu .
According to Mr. Kedar, various modules of Human Resources Management System have already been sent to the employees and they have been asked to study and implement the module well before July 1. A National Conclave is planned on July 16.
“About 65,000 workstations in 2,200 locations will be networked with hospitals and dispensaries. About two lakh people have been trained to handle the system. All ESIC institutions will go digital on July 1 and we shall achieve it,” he said at the national seminar on ESI scheme.
Mr. Kedar said that Tamil Nadu had the highest number of insured persons, which was slightly more than Maharashtra. ESIC provided medical benefits to 5.5 crore people and had 1.45 crore insured persons and four lakh employees.
In his keynote address, Madras High Court Judge K.N. Basha, said that ESIC had to develop a responsive, purposive and productive relationship with employers, seek their active involvement in the improvement of the scheme as a confidence building measure and provide them guidance in fulfilling their lawful obligations under the ESI Act.
Employers should be given a chance to be heard at an appropriate level.
Cancer Institute (WIA) chairperson V. Shantha said public campaigns had to be organised against the harmful effects of tobacco. Reducing the usage of tobacco would have a huge effect and it was important to spread the message through school and parental programmes. To mark the occasion, Mr. Kedar opened the first eye bank of ESIC in K.K. Nagar.
