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ESIC Health Infrastructure Expansion and SPREE Scheme Success

UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Economy

Social JusticeEconomySchemes

Why in news

ESIC has significantly expanded health facilities and registered over 1.38 lakh new employers and 1.12 crore new employees under the SPREE scheme from July 2025 to January 2026. The information was provided by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment in a Lok Sabha reply.

Background

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) provides social security and health insurance to workers in the organized sector. The SPREE (Special Registration for Employers and Employees) scheme was launched to encourage registration of those inadvertently left out of ESI coverage.

Key facts

in5points

  1. SPREE scheme was launched from July 2025 to January 2026 to encourage registration of employers/employees inadvertently left out of ESI coverage.

  2. Under SPREE, 1,38,718 new employers and 1,12,72,772 new employees were added by 31.01.2026.

  3. ESIC has taken steps to strengthen health infrastructure: increasing beds, procuring advanced medical equipment, setting up ICU/HDU facilities, and operating new hospitals/dispensaries.

  4. ESIC has empanelled private and super-specialty hospitals, upgraded digital platforms for OPD appointments, introduced Aadhaar-based authentication, and enabled online submission of cash benefit claims.

  5. ESIC has collaborated with Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY to provide secondary and tertiary healthcare where ESIC facilities are insufficient.

  6. New/upgraded hospitals: Ompora (J&K), Doddaballapur (Karnataka), Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu), Surat (Gujarat); expansions at Sanathnagar (Telangana), Beltola (Assam), Rajamahendravaram (Andhra Pradesh).

Prelims pointers

  • ESIC: Employees' State Insurance Corporation
  • SPREE: Special Registration for Employers and Employees
  • AB-PMJAY: Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
  • Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • Lok Sabha written reply by Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje

Mains angles

  • Discuss the role of ESIC in providing social security to organized sector workers and the impact of SPREE scheme on coverage expansion.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of ESIC's health infrastructure expansion and collaboration with AB-PMJAY in improving healthcare access.
  • Analyze the challenges in implementing social security schemes for workers in the informal sector and suggest measures.