EPFO TO BE EXPANDED TO PROVIDE SOCIAL SECURITY TO WORKERS IN THE
UNORGANISED SECTOR
The Labour Minister Shri
Sharad Yadav has said that we are trying to expand the Employees
Provident Fund Organisation in order to provide social security
to workers in the unorganised sector. Laying the foundation stone
of the building complex of the Sub-Accounts office of the EPFO
at NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh today, Shri Yadav said that the task
of workers’ welfare would be incomplete till 92 percent of the
workers belonging to the unorganised sector are brought within
the social security net. The Minister said that it is no doubt
a difficult and challenging task. Shri Yadav said that the Labour
Ministry and the Employees Provident Fund Organisation are jointly
working to find a way out. He said that we will have to economically
strengthen the workers in the unorganised sector who live in abject
poverty. Shri Yadav said that without that we cannot remove poverty
from the country.
Presiding over the function,
the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public
Distribution Shri Ashok Pradhan thanked the Labour Ministry for
setting up of the Sub-Accounts office of the EPFO at NOIDA. He
said that it would provide social security service to the workers
of NOIDA, Ghaziabad and Bulandshehar industrial belt almost at
their doorstep.
The Central Provident Fund
Commissioner Shri Ajay Singh said that the informal sector is
increasing with growing casualization and contractualization of
labour due to globalization. He said that the EPFO is undergoing
modernisation in order to reach to the unorganised sector. He
said that work on "Re-invent EPFO" is in progress so that besides
issuing smart cards, claims of beneficiaries can be settled within
3 days as against the present practice of 30 days. Shri Ajay Singh
said that EPFO is the biggest organisation of its kind in the
world covering 3.58 lakh establishments having about two and a
half crore beneficiaries. He said that during the last financial
year 47 lakh claims were settled and seven thousand crore rupees
were paid to the beneficiaries while 3.75 crore Account Slips
were issued. Shri Ajay Singh said that we are improving compliance,
encouraging voluntary compliance by simplifying procedures and
making punishments stringent for non-compliance.
The setting up of the EPF
Sub-Accounts Office at NOIDA in the new building complex to be
completed in 18 months at a cost of about Rs.2.5 crore, it will
bring most modern PF and Pensions facilities to the Employment
Provident Fund beneficiaries almost at their doorstep in the industrial
belt of Gautam Budh Nagar, Gazhiabad and Bulandshehar districts.
EPFO covers 21,502 establishments having 13.33 lakh members through
its 14 offices in Uttar Pradesh. Over 2.20 lakh claims were settled
and about 18 lakh Accounts Slips issued in the state during the
last financial year.
