ESIC – Last 9 days to register under SPREE

Introduction
The Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has pursuant to its notification bearing ref. no. V-12/11/1/2014-P&D dated 20 December 2016 approved a “Scheme To Promote Registration of Employers/ Employees” (“SPREE”) giving a one-time opportunity to establishments to register under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 (“the ESI Act”) and avail the benefits under SPREE.
Effective Period of SPREE
The registration under SPREE is open for the period from 20 December 2016 to 31 March 2017.
Salient Features of SPREE
1) It is a one-time drive, intended to extend the social security benefits to all-eligible under the Act, who have till now been kept out of the ESI coverage, and is open for the period w.e.f. 20 December to 31 March 2017.
2) The employers registering during the period will be treated as covered from the date of registration or as declared by them.
3) The newly registered employees shall be treated as covered from the date of their registration.
4) This will not have any bearing on actions taken/required under the ESI Act, if any, prior to 20th December 2016.

To conclude:
Employers have been given a one-time opportunity to register under the ESI Act before 31st March 2017 and upon such registration they will be treated as covered from the date of registration.
Disclaimer
This news flash has been written for the general interest of our clients and professional colleagues and is subject to change. It is not intended to be exhaustive or a substitute for legal advice. We cannot assume legal liability for any errors or omissions. Specific advice must be sought before taking any action pursuant to this news flash.

For further clarification and details on the above, you may write to the Labour & Employment team comprising of, amongst others, Kruti Desai (Partner) at [email protected], and Shruti Tandon (Associate) at [email protected].