Kohima: Nagaland officials are hunting for 15,000 insured members. Meeting at the Kohima Secretariat on August 12, the ESIC Regional Board pushed to land a 100-bed hospital for the state. Moatoshi Longkumer, the board chairman and state advisor, demanded full cooperation from employers and employees to boost registration numbers.
Longkumer called for biannual reviews to keep the ESI Scheme on track. The board also debated paying doctors and medical staff better wages to sharpen service delivery. Robert Longchari, commissioner for the Labour Department, promised to scout for land to house new branch offices in Tuensang, Mokokchung, and Mon. Officials might lease space to start operations sooner.
Pranay Sinha, the insurance commissioner for the Northeast Zone, touted the Ward of IP Scheme and pressed for the rapid formation of an ESI Society. Meanwhile, Champak Biswas urged the labor office to sync up with Social Security Officers to clear the registration backlog. Avile Vitso noted that the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences & Research wants an agreement with ESIC to provide medical care.
Stakeholders also voiced concerns. Employers’ representative Bithungo Kikon urged the government to set up a supervisory committee, while Khamgaipu Kamei, representing workers, demanded stronger directives for mandatory business registration. Longkumer noted, "The Chairman directed the State Labour Department & requested Employers and Employees representative to extend cooperation to ESIC in registration of establishments and Insured Persons (IPs), with the objective of achieving the target of 15,000 Insured Persons."
Following the meeting, Longkumer opened a new ESIC branch office on the second floor of the Labour Commissioner’s Office in Kohima.
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