Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana

The Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, implemented by the Employee’s State Insurance (ESI) Corporation, aims to provide financial support to insured individuals during periods of unemployment. Launched on July 1, 2018, and initially piloted for two years, the scheme has been extended until June 20, 2021, to ensure continued assistance is provided to eligible beneficiaries.

Benefits for Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana

This program provides aid at 50% of the average daily earnings over the last four contribution periods (total earnings over four periods divided by 730), capped at 90 days of support per unemployment period, once in a person’s lifetime.

Duration of Allowance

ABVKY permits a one-time relief claim of up to 90 days for individuals with a minimum of two years of insurable employment, meeting specified contributory conditions. Relief becomes payable three months post clear unemployment, granted for each subsequent clear month of unemployment. However, prospective claims are not allowed. If employment is secured by the beneficiary during the three-month relief period, they will receive compensation for the months of unemployment. If they lose their job again within a year and meet initial contributory conditions, they can claim the remaining 90 days of relief.

Eligibility for Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana

Covered under Section 2(9) of the ESI Act 1948, employees are eligible.
The Insured Person (IP) must have experienced unemployment during the relief claim period.
Minimum two years of continuous insurable employment is required for the IP.
The IP should have contributed for not less than 78 days in each of the preceding four contribution periods.
Contributions must have been paid or payable by the employer.
Unemployment should not result from misconduct, superannuation, or voluntary retirement.
Aadhar and Bank Account linkage with the insured person database is necessary.

Other conditions for administration of the scheme

An Insured Person (IP) covered by the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme is deemed unemployed only if jobless with all employers. Under Section 65 of the ESI Act, an IP can’t receive cash compensation and ABVKY Relief simultaneously. However, the periodic payments of Permanent Disability Benefit (PDB) under the ESI Act and Regulations will continue.
Under Section 61 of the ESI Act, if an insured person (IP) is receiving relief under ABVKY, they cannot claim similar benefits from any other law at the same time. However, they are still eligible for medical benefits under the ESI Act while receiving ABVKY relief.

Disqualification/Termination of relief under ABVKY

Sure, here’s a revised version of the points:

Lockout situation.
Employee strike declared illegal by competent authority.
Voluntary abandonment of employment, voluntary retirement, or premature retirement.
Less than two years of contributory service.
Reaching the age of superannuation.
Conviction under Section 84 of the ESI Act, in conjunction with Rule 62 of the ESI (Central) Rules, for false statements.
Re-employment elsewhere during receipt of Relief under ABVKY.
Dismissal or termination due to disciplinary action.
Death of the insured person (IP).

Submission of claim for relief

Eligibility Period: Claimants for Relief under ABVKY can submit their claim anytime after becoming unemployed, but no later than one year from the date of unemployment.
Submission Process: The Insured Person (IP) must submit their claim to their designated Branch Office. They will find a link for generating the claim on the ESIC Portal.
Information Required: The IP needs to enter their insurance number, bank account details (including branch), Aadhar number, period of claim, and mobile number on the portal.
Eligibility Check: The system will verify the IP’s eligibility. If eligible, it will generate the claim form AB-1 along with a forwarding letter (form AB-2) from the last employer. If not eligible, a regret message will be displayed.
Claim Submission: Eligible claimants must print the generated claim and employer letter, sign the affidavit, and submit it along with the required documents to the designated ESIC Branch Office.
Unique ID: Each generated claim will have an auto-generated unique ID number for tracking purposes.
Branch office staff, under the supervision of the Branch Manager, will cross-verify claimant details with system records. The system will then determine relief eligibility and amount based on provided information and contribution history.
Payment Process: Approved relief payments will be made directly to the claimant’s bank account.

Mode of payment

The Branch Office will directly disburse relief under ABVKY to IPs’ bank accounts exclusively through electronic means.
In the event of the demise of an intellectual property (IP), funds for relief will be transferred to the nominated individual or legal heir in accordance with Branch Office Manual Para(s) P.3.79.1 to P.3.81, utilizing an account payee cheque.
To claim this relief, documenting the bank account details of the claimant in the ESIC Database is crucial.
However, if these details are unavailable or if the IP has changed their bank account, the Branch Manager can authenticate.
The claimant’s name, along with the claim, will be utilized for submission by providing a canceled cheque leaf or passbook. The processing of claims will involve the use of AB-3 forms.

ESIC has announced significant enhancements to the claim process of the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana. This scheme, administered by the ESI Corporation, extends financial aid to insured individuals facing unemployment. Before, beneficiaries could get 50% of their average earnings for up to 90 days if they met certain contribution requirements. But a problem arose when some employers deleted former employees records months after they left, making those individuals ineligible for benefits because their contribution records were incomplete. In response to this issue, ESIC has revised its policy. Relief under ABVKY can now be claimed by employees with “Zero” contributions before being officially removed from employer records, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. Only formally removed individuals qualify for this extended benefit.