Patna, May 19: The Employees' State Insurance Corporation has decided to transfer its upcoming medical college at Bihta to the state government.

After inspecting the progress of work of the health hub, 45km southwest from here, Union minister for labour and employment (independent charge) Bandaru Dattatreya today said: "The ESIC (Employees' State Insurance Corporation) hospital in Bihta would be handed over to the state government, which would bear all the recurring expenses for its maintenance and all the medical benefits given there."

The Union minister said once operational, the medical college and hospital would be a big boost for Bihar and serve the interest of labourers from the state.

The facility, likely to be functional next year, would serve both the insured and non-insured persons of ESIC. Its construction work started in 2011. Former Union minister of labour and employment M. Mallikarjun Kharge had laid the foundation of the 100-seat medical college and 500-bed hospital.

Union minister Dattatreya said the Centre would provide all financial help in running the hospital. He also claimed that the Centre was keen to upgrade the ESIC hospitals at Phulwari Sharif and Bihar Sharif. Rs 40 lakh had been sanctioned for the facility at Phulwari Sharif, he said.

A source said there are around 1.84 crore insured employees in Bihar. If their family members are counted, around 7 crore people would benefit from the ESIC hospital at Bihta and upgrade of the two hospitals at Phulwari Sharif and Bihar Sharif. The Union minister also met state labour minister Dulal Chand Goswami and announced to set up two career counselling centres in the state. The Centre would provide training to people for jobs.

The labour ministry has decided to launch unique identity for employees working in organised as well as unorganised sectors for providing better facilities to them. People having the unique identity would get the facilities of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, Aam Adami Bima Yojana and old age pension scheme.