ESIC Dispenses Affidavit Form for Claiming under Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana

The Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) held a meeting on 20.08.2020. In this meeting, there was a decision to extend the scheme ‘Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana’ to 30.06.2021. Initially, this scheme was to be in operation till 01.07.2020. It was also decided to enhance the rate of relief under this scheme to 50% of the average daily earning. The present rate of relief under this scheme is 25% of the average daily earning. 

The eligibility conditions under the scheme are also relaxed. The eligibility conditions are relaxed for the period of 24.03.2020 to 31.12.2020. This relaxation is for the reason to provide relief to the workers who have become unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ESIC analysed the responses of the beneficiaries of the scheme regarding the relaxed eligibility conditions provided in this scheme. While examining these responses, they found out that the requirement to submit the claim in Affidavit Form is causing inconvenience to the claimants. To ease this difficulty faced by the claimants, the ESIC provided that the claimants who have submitted the claim online need not submit the physical claim of the scheme. 

Also Read: FM Announces New Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0 Brings Stimulus Measures Up to Rs.29.87 lakh crore

To submit the form online, the claimants have to give their claim under the scheme online and also upload the scanned copies of the required documents, i.e. Aadhaar card and bank details. The claimants can submit the printout of the duly signed claim along with the required documents if there is no upload of the specified documents at the time of filing the claim. Thus, the ESIC announced dispensing this condition of submitting the claim in affidavit form.  

The ESIC is a social security organisation which provides comprehensive social security benefits to its members. It provides services such as reasonable medical care and cash benefits like sickness, death, injury, etc. Currently, it covers about 3.49 crore of family units of workers and medical care to 13.56 crore beneficiaries. 

Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana scheme is a pilot scheme for two years. This scheme was started in 2018 to be in operation till 2020. This scheme provides a relief payment to the daily wage employees who have lost their jobs. This scheme gives a fraction of the daily wages as relief payment for 90 days for the employees who have lost jobs. For the benefit of daily wage employees, this scheme is extended now till June 2021. This extension is due to the reason of many employees losing their jobs during the pandemic situation. Every employee covered under Section 2(9) of the Employees State Insurance Act can avail of this benefit. 

For any clarifications/feedback on the topic, please contact the writer at mayashree.acharya@cleartax.in