The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Regional Office, Ahmedabad, organized an important press conference on July 23, 2025, regarding the “SPREE (Scheme for Promotion of Regular Employment & Empowerment)” initiative. The press conference was presided over by Mr. Hemant Kumar Pandey, Regional Director, ESIC Ahmedabad. On this occasion, Mr. Vivek Awasthi, Deputy Director, and Mr. Bharat Bhushan, Assistant Director, represented ESIC, along with representatives from various media organizations.

SPREE (Scheme to Promote Registration of Employers/Employees) 2025 is a special initiative of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), aimed at encouraging unregistered employers and those who have not yet registered all their eligible employees under ESIC. The scheme will be in effect from July 1 to December 31, 2025, during which employers are given a one-time opportunity to register their factories, establishments, and all eligible employees without any demand for past contributions, penalties, or legal action. The primary objective of this initiative is to expand social security coverage under the ESI Act so that more and more employees can benefit from medical and social security facilities. The Regional Director also shared that more than 700 employers have registered under ESIC so far through this scheme.

During the press conference, Regional Director Mr. Hemant Kumar Pandey responded to various queries from media representatives regarding ESIC’s social security schemes. He informed that ESIC provides free medical services to insured persons and their dependents through its hospitals and dispensaries. In addition to medical benefits, sickness benefits, long-term sickness benefits, maternity benefits, financial assistance in case of accidents or disability, pension to dependents in case of the death of the employee, funeral expenses, unemployment benefits under the Atal Beemit Kalyan Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana, and rehabilitation allowances. Furthermore, he mentioned that ESIC reserves seats in its medical colleges for the children of insured employees, where they are given the opportunity to pursue MBBS at a nominal fee.

Addressing the press conference, Mr. Hemant Kumar Pandey stated that the SPREE scheme is beneficial for both employers and employees.

(Release ID: 2147813)