Around 8.21 lakh subscribers join ESIC scheme in March as against 11.83 lakh in February: Payroll data

New Delhi: Around 8.21 lakh new members joined the ESIC-run social security scheme in March 2020, against 11.83 lakh in the previous month, according to payroll data of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). The data was part of a report released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_6965391” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The report said gross enrolments of new subscribers with ESIC were 1.49 crore during 2018-19. During the period September 2017 to March 2020, around 3.83 crore new subscribers joined the ESIC scheme. The NSO report is based on the payroll data of new subscribers of various social security schemes run by ESIC, retirement fund body EPFO and pension fund regulator PFRDA. It has been releasing such data of these bodies since April 2018, covering the period starting from September 2017. The report noted that gross new enrolments with ESIC during the September 2017-March 2018 period were 83.35 lakh. Net 5.72 lakh new enrolments with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) were recorded in March 2020, compared with 10.21 lakh in the preceding month (February 2020). However, during fiscal 2019-20, the number of net new subscribers rose to 78.58 lakh compared to 61.12 lakh recorded by the EPFO in 2018-19. The net new enrolments were 15.52 lakh during September 2017-March 2018. The latest data showed that during September 2017-March 2020, around 3.34 crore (gross) new subscribers joined the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme. The report, titled ‘Payroll Reporting in India: An Employment Perspective - March 2020’, said that since the number of subscribers is from various sources, there are elements of overlap and the estimates are not additive. The NSO said the report gives different perspectives on the levels of employment in the formal sector and does not measure employment at a holistic level.