Raise ESI ceiling: Bhaskar Rao

Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhaskar Rao has urged the government to raise the ceiling on eligibility for ESI from Rs 21,000 to Rs 35,000, which he said would considerably reduce burden of price rise and bring more people under health benefits. In a statement, he said, at present, the ESI scheme does not cover workers or employees earning more than Rs 21,000 per month and in the case of persons with a disability, the maximum wage is capped at Rs 25,000 per month.

“In post Covid times, there is an all-round rise in prices, hitting common man hard and forcing him to lead a life of subsistence. Though there is marginal increase in salaries, it is not sufficient to meet the wants and needs of daily life,” he said.

Narayana Guru Corpn sought

A delegation comprising BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Energy Minister V Sunil Kumar met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday and gave him a memorandum seeking the establishment of a development corporation named after social reformer Narayana Guru. In Mangaluru, Social Welfare & Backward Classes Welfare Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said Bommai has agreed to set up the corporation.