Mumbai, Nov 21 To bolster healthcare infrastructure in the state, the Maharashtra government, on Friday, has decided to provide land for Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospitals free of cost and exempted from tax.
State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the government's decision aims to strengthen the network of healthcare facilities in the state, prevent delays in hospital construction often caused by high land costs or unavailability, and ensure high-quality treatment is accessible to the common worker near their home.
"The land will be handed over under the 'Occupancy Class-II' category. This crucial restriction prevents ESIC from selling the land or using it for commercial purposes, ensuring it remains dedicated to public healthcare," Minister Bawankule added.
According to the state government decision, the Revenue department will be the decision-making authority to approve transfer of land with market value up to Rs 1 crore (Occupancy Class II) while the Finance department's approval will be necessary for transfer of land with market value of more than Rs 1 crore (Occupancy Class II).
The state government has fixed the required land area based on the hospital's bed capacity and the availability of Floor Space Index of 1.5 or 2.0.
Accordingly, eight to 10 acres of land will he needed for 500-bed hospitals, six to nine acres for 300-bed hospitals, five to seven acres of land for 200-bed hospitals, and three to five acres of land for 100-bed hospitals, the government said.
"The decision is based on the State Cabinet's June 2025 resolution to provide 15 acres of 'Gairan' (grazing land) free of cost for a 200-bed ESIC hospital at Karodi in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The same rule will now be applied uniformly to all places across Maharashtra where ESIC hospitals are proposed, provided government land is available," Minister Bawankule said.
He also added that the policy is expected to significantly accelerate the development of much-needed healthcare infrastructure for the massive workforce covered under the ESIC scheme in Maharashtra.
According to Revenue Department sources, the decision to provide government land free of cost for ESIC hospitals will most immediately benefit major industrial and labour hubs, including Pune-Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Palghar and Raigad, where new hospitals are already proposed or existing facilities are severely strained due to high patient load.
Sources said at present, there are 15 operational ESIC hospitals in the state.
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