ESIC Launches SPREE 2025 to Widen Social Security Coverage Nationwide

To expand the social coverage in the country, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has re-launched SPREE 2025(Scheme for Promotion of Registration of Employers and Employees) on 1 July 2025.

The decision to launch SPREE 2025 was taken at the 196th meeting of the ESIC at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, on 27 June 2025. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Labour and Employment, and Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

About SPREE 

The SPREE was launched in 2016 by the ESIC to expand social security coverage in the country.

The SPREE 2025 will be open from 1 July to 31st December 2025.

Features 

• Eligible unregistered employers can enrol in the legally mandatory ESI Scheme without facing inspections or demands for past dues.
• Registration can be done online through the ESIC, Shram Suvidha and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal.
• No disciplinary action will be taken against them if they voluntarily register during this period.

About the ESIC 

The Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) was established on 24 February 1952 to administer the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Scheme.

The ESIC is under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Headquarters: New Delhi

ESI Scheme 

• The ESI scheme is India's largest social insurance scheme that provides medical benefits to  employees as mentioned in the  Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948.
• The scheme was officially launched on 24 February 1952 in Kanpur and New Delhi. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru launched the scheme in Kanpur.

Benefits of the ESI Scheme 

The ESI scheme provides both medical and cash benefits to the enrolled employees..It also administers the Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana and the Atal Beemit Kalyan Yojana.

• Medical Benefits- Provides Full medical care (primary, secondary, and tertiary) to an Insured person and his family members
• Sickness, Maternity, and Disability Benefits- Enrolled employees are provided with a certain percentage of their salary in cash in the event of maternity leave, sickness, or disability.

Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana

Launched on 1 April 2005.

It covers an ESI beneficiary who has been enrolled for at least two years and has become unemployed due to the closure of their factory or establishment, or has become a permanent invalid with a disability of not less than 40%.

Benefit 

• They will get an unemployment allowance  of 50 % of their wage for two years,
• Medical benefits for the two years 
• Expenditure on vocational upskilling to be borne by ESIC.

Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana 

Launched - 1 July 2018.

For those ESI beneficiaries who were enrolled for at least one year before becoming unemployed.

A one-time payment of 50 per cent of the wage for a period up to 90 days is given to the unemployed employee.

Eligibility for the ESI Scheme? 

• Applicable to factories and other establishments, including Hotels, Restaurants, Cinemas, Newspapers, Construction Site Shops, Road transport and Educational and Medical institutions, where 10 or more persons are employed. 
• In some states, it applies to factories and establishments employing 20 or more persons. 
• Workers with a monthly wage of up to Rs 21,000 are covered.

Financing of the Scheme

• Both the employer and the Employees contribute to the scheme.
• The contribution of the employer is 4.75% of the employee's wages.
• The employee contribution is 1.75% of the wage.
• Employees earning a daily wage of less than Rs. 137 per day are exempt from paying their share of the contribution.