Centre urged to open ESIC sub-regional office at Jharsuguda

BHUBANESWAR: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has written two different letters to his cabinet colleague Bhupender Yadav, Union labour and employment minister, requesting him to create sub-regional office (SRO) of employees’ state insurance corporation (ESIC) at Jharsuguda and personal intervention for opening of 12 dispensaries at different places of Odisha.
In the first letter, Pradhan stated that the ESIC regional office at Bhubaneswar is in the eastern side of Odisha and it is not easily accessible for the employers and beneficiaries from the western part of the state. “Hence, a proposal has been put forth for creation of a SRO at Jharsuguda under the ESIC regional office Bhubaneswar,” said Pradhan.
He said 17 out of 30 districts of Odisha are nearer and easily accessible to ESIC RO Bhubaneswar, while 13 districts are comparatively nearer to the proposed SRO at Jharsuguda. This district has several small and large-scale industries. More than 30 major employers are functioning in and around Jharsuguda and the adjoining Rourkela area in Sundargarh district.
The Union education minister stated that most of the states have at least one or more number of SROs, but Odisha has no SRO at present. Because of the long distance, many people face difficulties to come to Bhubaneswar for any ESI related work. “Keeping the benefit of the employers and ESIC beneficiaries in mind, I seek your personal intervention in directing officials of your ministry for a favourable consideration of the proposal for creation of an ESIC SRO at Jharsuguda under ESIC regional office Bhubaneswar,” he added.
In the second letter, Pradhan said there is a proposal for opening 12 new dispensaries at different locations in Odisha and for shifting one dispensary from Brajrajnagar to Belpahar in Jharsuguda district. “I seek your personal intervention for expeditious implementation of the proposal,” said Pradhan in the letter to Yadav.
According to the proposal, new dispensaries will be created at Talcher, Jaleswar, Nilagiri, Soro, Dhamra, Trisulia, Adaspur, Jagatsinghpur, Joda, Nimapada, Banai and Koira. The Odisha government has already approved the setting of the dispensaries at these places excluding the new dispensary at Joda.
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