EPFO settles 19,114 grievances in January, 2017

EPFO launched Employees Enrolment Campaign 2017 offering opportunity to the employers to voluntarily declare details of all employees hitherto deprived of social security benefits under EPFO. The declaration scheme is operational between January 1^st 2017 to March 31^st 2017. Under the Scheme: The employees’ share of contributions if declared by the employer as not deducted shall stand waived. The damages to be paid by the employer in respect of the employer in respect of the employees for whom declaration has been made under this campaign shall be at the rate of Rupee One per annum. No administrative charges shall be collected from the employer in respect of the contribution made under the declaration. A declaration can be made under the Campaign for the period for which no inquiry under Section 7A has been initiated.

EPFO has provided facility for online declaration under the Principal Employer section of EPFO portal which facilities the implementation of the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign. After declaration, the payments are to be remitted by the employer through month-wise ECRs for the entire past period of enrolments.

To facilitate enhanced services, furnishing of Aadhar has now been made mandatory for members and pensioners of the Employee’s Pension Scheme. Furnishing of Aadhar seeded bank accounts as well as Aadaar by EPF members would facilitate better identification as well as consolidation of EPF accounts linked with various spells of employment of EPF members. This would allow offering any time anywhere services to EPF members.

ECR 2.0 has been operationlized and the principal employer can view details of contractor establishment’s compliance status. This will help all employees, particularly contract employees, becoming aware of any non-compliance by their employer/contractor as they shall be immediately receiving SMSs whenever a contribution is credited into their account.

In January 2017, EPFO settled 19,114 grievance leaving 2,556 as pending. Out of the pending grievances, 2,206 were pending for less than seven days.

As a part of next phase of computerization, EPFO is moving towards a centralized receipt and payment, system. EPFO has entered into banking arrangements with multiple banks. Once operationlized, this would also facilitate automation of compilation of financial information as required for compiling the organizational balance sheet and other monitoring reports.

Voluntary employee enrolment declaration waives undeducted employee contributions and fixes nominal employer damages under the campaign. The Employees Enrolment Campaign 2017 creates a voluntary declaration route by which employers may disclose previously unenrolled workers; declared employees' share of contributions is waived, employer damages are fixed at a nominal rate, no administrative charges are collected, declarations are barred where an inquiry is pending, and payments for declared periods must be remitted month wise via ECRs through the EPFO online Principal Employer portal.