<h1>Regulator tightens provident fund access: 12-month unemployment wait, 36-month pension lock, 25% minimum contribution reserve</h1> Government regulator amended employees' provident fund rules to require 12 months of continuous unemployment before final provident fund settlement (up from 2 months), 36 months before pension account withdrawal (up from 2 months), and to earmark 25% of a member's contributions as a minimum locked balance; EPF contributions are made mandatory. Opposition parties have alleged the changes unlawfully restrict access to savings and punish salaried workers, urging the labour minister to rescind the measures. The regulator's board approved the amendments, citing preservation of pension entitlements and social security continuity for formal-sector workers.