Whereas draft notification to provide relaxation in the eligibility condition of 2 years insurable employment before unemployment and the contributory condition of Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana w.e.f. 01.07.2021 was published in the Gazette of India

## Report on Relaxation in Eligibility Conditions for Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana **1. Executive Summary:** This report analyzes a notification from the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) concerning the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana. This notification, effectively an amendment, relaxes the eligibility conditions related to insurable employment duration and contributory requirements for unemployed individuals to benefit from the scheme. The core purpose of the amendment, as inferred from the text, is to make the scheme more accessible by reducing the required employment period and contribution days. The key finding is the reduction in the minimum employment period to 12 months and the contribution days to 78 days within that period. **2. Introduction:** The purpose of this report is to provide an informative overview and analysis of the ESIC notification regarding the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, based solely on the text provided in the notification published on January 27, 2022. **3. Policy Overview:** * This notification is an amendment to the eligibility conditions of the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana. * **Core Objective (Inferred):** To broaden the reach of the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana by relaxing eligibility criteria to include a larger pool of unemployed insured persons. **4. Background and Rationale:** This amendment likely addresses a concern that the original eligibility criteria (2 years of insurable employment) were too restrictive, potentially excluding individuals who had recently entered the workforce or experienced shorter periods of employment. The amendment to the contributory conditions suggests the aim of including workers with less consistent recent employment history. **5. Key Provisions / Changes:** This notification introduces the following key changes to the eligibility conditions of the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana: * **Original Policy (Inferred from amendment):** The original policy required a minimum of 2 years of insurable employment before unemployment. * **New Rule:** The amended rule states that the insured person should have been in insurable employment for a minimum period of **12 months** immediately before their unemployment. * **Difference/Effect:** This change significantly reduces the required employment period, allowing individuals with only 12 months of insurable employment to be eligible for the scheme. * **Original Policy (Inferred from amendment):** Contributory conditions which may have been stricter. * **New Rule:** The insured person should have contributed for not less than **78 days** in the one completed contribution period in 12 months immediately preceding to unemployment. * **Difference/Effect:** This allows individuals with recent sporadic work to benefit from the scheme. **6. Target Audience and Stakeholders:** The target audience and stakeholders directly affected by this amendment are: * Insured persons covered under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Act who become unemployed. * The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) itself, as the implementing body. * Businesses contributing to the ESI scheme. **7. Implementation Aspects (Inferred):** * **Responsible Agency/Bodies:** The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is the responsible body for implementing this amendment. The text refers to the Insurance Commissioner as the notifying authority. * **Timelines/Procedures:** The amendment is effective from **July 1, 2021**. The notification process involved publishing a draft in the Gazette of India, soliciting public feedback (of which there was none), and then publishing the final notification. **8. Expected Outcomes / Impact of Changes:** The likely intended outcomes of these specific changes are: * Increased accessibility to the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana for newly unemployed insured persons. * A broader safety net for workers with shorter or less consistent employment histories. * Potentially, increased uptake of the scheme and a corresponding increase in benefit payouts. **9. Conclusion:** The ESIC notification analyzed in this report represents a relaxation of eligibility criteria for the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, specifically reducing the minimum required insurable employment period to 12 months and contribution days to 78 days within that period. This amendment aims to expand the reach of the scheme and provide support to a broader range of unemployed insured persons. This change is significant as it reflects an adjustment to the policy to better address the needs of workers with varying employment patterns.

Key Entities Referenced