ESI scheme to cover all districts in Gujarat from Oct 1

Ahmedabad: The Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme will be extended across the entire state of Gujarat from October 1, 2026, bringing establishments in 15 previously uncovered districts and 16 partially covered districts under the scheme.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment, in a recent gazette notification, said contributions from employers and employees in these areas will become payable under Section 29 of the Code on Social Security, 2020. Employees in these establishments will also become eligible for benefits under provisions relating to the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).

The 15 districts that were previously not covered include Amreli, Aravalli, Banaskantha, Botad, Chhota Udepur, Dahod, Dang, Devbhumi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Kutch, Mahisagar, Narmada, Patan, Tapi and Vav-Tharad.

The 16 districts with partial coverage are Ahmedabad, Anand, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Mehsana, Morbi, Navsari, Panchmahal, Porbandar, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surat and Surendranagar.

Why were these districts not fully covered earlier?

The ESI scheme was implemented in phases, with coverage initially limited to notified areas, particularly industrial clusters and major urban centres. As a result, several parts of Gujarat remained outside the scheme or had only partial coverage.

The availability of medical infrastructure was also an important factor. ESI coverage requires facilities such as dispensaries, hospitals and other healthcare services so that insured workers can access medical treatment. As the scheme expanded gradually, areas where the required infrastructure and administrative arrangements were not yet in place were brought under coverage later.

The latest expansion follows the broader framework of the Code on Social Security, 2020, which seeks to widen social-security coverage and reduce geographical limitations under the earlier system.

With the October 1 notification, the Centre has brought the remaining uncovered and partially covered areas of Gujarat under the ESI framework, subject to the applicable eligibility conditions for establishments and employees. DeshGujarat