Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) regional director M Ramarao announced the launch of a new initiative — SPREE (Scheme for Promotion of Registration of Employers and Employees) — to strengthen social and health security for workers.
Addressing the media at the ESIC office at Gunadala here on Wednesday, Ramarao urged industries, organisations, and workers to voluntarily enroll in the scheme to avail insurance benefits. The SPREE scheme, approved at the 196th meeting of the ESI Corporation, simplifies registration by waiving penalties and inspections for past non-compliance.
Under the scheme, coverage will be effective from the employer’s declared date, with no contributions or benefits applicable for the pre-registration period. Ramarao said that unlike earlier rules — where delayed registration invited legal action and arrears — SPREE removes these hurdles, encouraging unregistered factories and organisations to bring workers under ESIC protection.
Currently, 69,632 establishments and 14 lakh employees in the state are registered under ESIC. Ramarao called on eligible units to promptly enroll.
The event was attended by Dr V Anjaneyulu (director, IMS), Dr R Pradeep Kumar (state medical officer), D Chandrasekhar Varma (director of factories), B. Umamaheswara Rao (director of boilers), and Srinivas Navaneet (deputy director, ESIC).
