Covid-19 pension benefits: EPF, ESIC subscribers, contractual or casual workers ALERT—check aid announced by Modi Govt

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has left lots of people in a financial crunch. In order to help people during this emergency period, the central government has come up with pension plans to help pensioners and family members and dependents of salaried class and contractual or casual workers.

Several announcements have been made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his office PMO regarding the monetary assistance that can be provided through pension-related schemes, as per a report by india.com.

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These schemes can be availed by the pensioners, family members and dependents of salary class and contractual or casual workers in order to get cope up with the financial emergency.

Here is a list of schemes for your reference:

1. Family Pension under Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC): Benefit of ESIC pension scheme has been extended to even those who have died due to Covid-19 to help the family members.

According to a statement by Prime Minister'd Office, the ESIC pension scheme was applicable for employment related death cases.

As per the existing norms, dependent family members of such persons will be entitled to the benefit of pension equivalent to 90 percent of average daily wage drawn by the worker.

This benefit will be available retrospectively with effect from March 24, 2020 and for all such cases till March 24, 2022.

2. EPFO-EDLI Scheme: The EDLI scheme has been enhanced and liberalized and will also help the families of employees who have lost their lives due to Covid-19.

To provide help and support to the family members the amount of maximum insurance benefit has been increased from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. The provision of minimum insurance benefit of Rs 2.5 lakh has been restored and will apply retrospectively from February 15, 2020 for the next three years.

Also, the PMO said in a statement that to benefit families of contractual or casual workers, the condition of continuous employment in only one establishment has been liberalized, with benefit being made available to families of even those employees who may have changed jobs in the last 12 months preceding his death.

3. The Central Government has extended provisional pension payment up to one year from the date of retirement of the employee in view of the pandemic, said the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.

4. The central government has also liberalized the provisional family pension. Under this new process, family pension can be sanctioned immediately if an eligible family member submits a claim for family pension and provides the death certificate of the employee.

An instruction has been given to the Department of Pension and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) that if such cases arise then the provisional family pension can be initiated without waiting for the Pay and Accounts Office’s approval.