The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has announced plans to extend social security cover to about 8 lakh additional workers in Gujarat, the regional board said after its 94th meeting at the Gujarat Secretariat in Gandhinagar.
Board meeting and numbers
The meeting, chaired by Labour, Skill Development and Employment Minister and ESIC Regional Board Chairman Kunvarji Bavaliya, took stock of the corporation’s current reach and measures to expand healthcare access for insured persons and their dependants. As of 31 March 2026, ESIC’s regional figures in Gujarat stood at:
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Insured persons | 21.68 lakh |
| Beneficiaries (including dependants) | around 84 lakh |
| Private hospitals empanelled in past two months | more than 68 |
| Proposed additional workers to be covered | about 8 lakh |
Why expansion now
Bavaliya told the regional board that employment opportunities in Gujarat have been rising in tandem with industrial development, prompting the move to widen ESIC coverage. The proposed inclusion of roughly 8 lakh workers reflects the board’s attempt to align social security provision with labour market growth, the statement said.
Minister of State Kantilal Amrutiya was present at the meeting, which the regional body resolved to hold once every three months to monitor worker welfare, healthcare services and social security issues. The board said it would take follow-up action to address demands and grievances raised by workers between meetings.
Healthcare access and empanelment drive
To facilitate prompt and cashless medical treatment for insured persons and their families, the ESIC regional board highlighted the empanelment of more than 68 private hospitals in the state over the past two months. Officials said the expansion of the hospital network aims to make medical services more accessible and effective for ESIC beneficiaries.
- Empanelment is intended to increase the number of facilities offering cashless treatment under ESIC in both urban and industrial pockets.
- The regional board emphasised that empanelment complements existing ESIC hospitals to reduce wait times and improve choice.
- Regular board meetings will review service delivery, empanelment quality and grievance redressal.
Implications for workers and employers
Bringing an additional 8 lakh workers under ESIC would broaden access to medical benefits, sickness and maternity leave entitlements and other statutory safeguards for a significant section of the state’s workforce. For employers, inclusion under ESIC typically entails statutory contributions and compliance obligations; the board indicated its approach will be administrative and facilitative, tied to the state’s growing industrial footprint.
Officials said the state government continues to prioritise strengthening healthcare services and ensuring wider coverage of welfare schemes for workers and their families. The board resolved to take "necessary action" for timely resolution of issues raised by workers, according to meeting notes.
Next steps and monitoring
The regional board did not specify a timeline for the enrolment of the additional 8 lakh workers or the geographic breakdown of the empanelled hospitals. It did, however, set a schedule of quarterly meetings to follow up on implementation, suggesting an administrative review mechanism to track progress.
Stakeholders in Gujarat’s industrial and labour sectors will be watching how quickly registration and empanelment translate into on-the-ground access to cashless care and other ESIC benefits, and how employers and district administrations manage the operational aspects of expanded coverage.
The 94th Regional Board Meeting underlined the state’s dual focus on widening social security nets while improving healthcare capacity through public–private partnerships, signalling an incremental strengthening of ESIC’s presence in Gujarat.
