Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, chaired the 198th meeting of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) at New Delhi today. The Corporation deliberated upon and approved several key agenda items aimed at strengthening ESIC's healthcare infrastructure, expanding medical education, and improving organisational efficiency and service delivery.
Direct Management of New Hospitals by ESIC
In a significant decision aimed at ensuring standardised, efficient, and high-quality healthcare services, the Corporation approved that all upcoming and newly commissioned ESI Hospitals will now be directly managed by ESIC. Hospitals currently under State Governments and undergoing reconstruction or upgradation will continue under State management unless the concerned State Government opts for handover to ESIC.
MoU between ESIC and Ministry of Ayush
The Corporation approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, and ESIC, Ministry of Labour & Employment, to create a joint framework for integration, promotion, strengthening, and capacity-building of Ayush services within ESIC's healthcare delivery system, addressing occupational and lifestyle-related health challenges through holistic and accessible care.
Restructuring of ESIC Medical Education Governance
In-principle approval was accorded for reorganisation and strengthening of the Medical Education Division, including creation of functional verticals and additional posts, and constitution of an ESIC Medical Education Advisory Board, to support the expansion of medical, dental, nursing, and allied health science institutions.
Consolidated MoU for State ESI Societies
The Corporation approved adoption of a new consolidated Memorandum of Understanding for State ESI Societies, replacing the 2017 models of the Memorandum of Association and Rules & Regulations, necessitated by the enactment of the Code on Social Security, 2020.
The decision also enables Governing Body and Executive Committee sessions to proceed during pending non-official nominations, and designates the Insurance Commissioner and Medical Commissioner as permanent invitees to such meetings.
Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure: Occupational Disease Centres, Hospital Upgradation, and Cancer Care Facility
The Corporation approved a series of major healthcare infrastructure initiatives, including the establishment of Occupational Disease Centres (ODCs) at Sanathnagar, Faridabad, Ludhiana, Beltola, and Bhubaneswar along with in-principle approval for Zonal Rehabilitation Centres for comprehensive occupational health management; the phased upgradation of ESIC Model Hospital, Bari Brahmana, Jammu from 50 to 100 beds (comprising 20 additional beds within the existing building, a new 30-bed ward, and identification of land for a new facility in the region); upgradation of ESIC Hospital, Tirunelveli from 100 bedded to 150 bedded and acquiring of adjacent lands for developing SST blocks and in-principle approval for a Radiation Oncology Block at ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Joka, Kolkata featuring a High-Energy Linear Accelerator, CT Simulator Unit, Brachytherapy Unit, and PET-CT Scan facility to strengthen cancer care for beneficiaries across the Eastern Zone, including West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and the North-Eastern States.
New Medical Education Infrastructure : Dental College at New Delhi and Medical College at Haridwar
In-principle approval was granted for two major medical education initiatives construction of a Dental College with UG and PG facilities, a Super-Specialty cum OPD Block, staff quarters, hostels, and allied infrastructure at ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Basaidarapur, New Delhi; and the setting up of a new ESIC Medical College at Haridwar, Uttarakhand, with an annual intake of 50 MBBS admissions, utilising the existing infrastructure of ESIC Hospital, Haridwar, from the Academic Year 2027–28 onwards.
Employees' State Insurance (General) Regulations, 2026
The Corporation approved the framing of the Employees' State Insurance (General) Regulations, 2026, under the Code on Social Security, 2020, revising the existing Employees' State Insurance (General) Regulations, 1950.
Setting Up of Five New Sub-Regional Offices
In view of ESIC's expansion following implementation of the Code on Social Security, 2020, with effect from 21.11.2025, the Corporation approved the establishment of five new Sub-Regional Offices (SROs) at Meghalaya, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), to improve service delivery, compliance monitoring, and decentralisation of administration.
Extension of Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana
The extension of the unemployment allowance scheme for Insured Persons was approved for a further period of one year, from 1st July, 2026 to 30th June, 2027.
The 198th meeting of the ESI Corporation was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, the Director General, ESIC, Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of the State Governments, and representatives of employers and employees.