(THE GIST OF PIB) SPREE Scheme

(JUNE-2025)

Recently, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) approved the re-launch of the SPREE Scheme from July 1 to December 31, 2025.

The Scheme to Promote Registration of Employers/Employees (SPREE) was originally introduced in 2016.
Objective: The objective of expanding ESI coverage across the country.
The scheme successfully facilitated the registration of over 88,000 employers and 1.02 crore employees.
The renewed SPREE will be open from 1st July to 31st December 2025, offering a one-time opportunity for unregistered employers and left-out workers—including contractual and temporary staff—to enroll under the ESI Act.
Under the scheme, employers registering during this period will be treated as covered from the date of registration or as declared by them, while newly registered employees will be covered from their respective dates of registration.
By focusing on voluntary compliance rather than penalization, the scheme will seek to ease the litigation burden, encourage formal registration, and foster improved engagement and goodwill among stakeholders.