Mohali, Apr 23 (KNN) The Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Mohali continues to be in negative light with poor facilities and rampant corruption prevailing at the hospitals, adding to the woes of ESIC insured MSME workers, Mohali Industries Association (MIA) informed.

Talking to KNN, Jasbir Singh, Chairman of MIA said that the poor workers are being robbed their money and when it comes to providing services the workers have to approach private hospitals.

Informing of a recent development, Singh said that the level of corruption prevalent in the functioning of corporation can be observed from the fact that a corrupt official was reappointed and was found involved in much larger corruption and was finally arrested.

“The cashier to Regional Director ESIC Chandigarh was found involved in corruption and an FIR was registered against him, in two months he was out and was reappointed as the cashier with the case pending. He started his corrupt practices again, looting over 43 lakh rupees this time”, Singh informed.

Singh said that the cashier who has had a bad record and case pending against him, his reappointment indicates the corrupt behaviour at different levels in the corporation.

Earlier the Mohali District Association filed a PIL against the Union of India and other respondents alleging that the amount is being collected from the poor industry workers as insurance premiums by the ESIC.

But when it comes to providing health facilities to the workers, there are no proper facilities in place at the ESIC hospitals in the region, because of which the workers have to approach private hospitals for treatments and then wait for an uncertain duration of time to get their reimbursements.

The next hearing of the PIL is scheduled for 24^th of May, Singh informed. (KNN/DA)