Lok Sabha Question No. 190 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-14
Subject: Total Amount Withdrawn from Provident Fund
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Sudheer Gupta, Behanan Benny, Shrirang Appa Barne, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 190 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.09.2020

## TOTAL AMOUNT WITHDRAWN FROM PROVIDENT FUND

190.  SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  condition  of  labourers  has deteriorated due to Covid 19 pandemic;
- (b)if so, the details thereof and the Government  initiatives by extending assistance during the period;
- (c)the total quantum of amount withdrawn from Employment Provident Fund  Account  during  lockdown  period  of  Covid  19  pandemic,  till date, State-wise; and
- (d)the further steps taken/being taken by the Government to help the labourers by generating more employment in the country; and
- (e)whether  the  Government  is  planning  any  other  social  security measures  for  those  in  the  provident  fund  network  and  if  so,  the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b): In order to ameliorate the hardships faced by the labourers due  to  economic  disruption  caused  by  COVID-19  pandemic,  various initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Labour and Employment as   part    of   Pradhan    Mantri   Garib Kalyan  Yojana  (PMGKY)  and

Atmanirbhar  Bharat  which,  inter-alia,  include    (i)  payment  of  12% employers' share and 12% employees' share under Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), totalling 24%  by the Government of India for six wage months from March to August, 2020 for all the establishments   having  up  to  100  employees  with  90%  of  such employees earning less than Rs.15,000/- monthly wage; (ii) reduction in PF contribution from 12% to 10% of wages for the wage months of May, June and July, 2020; (iii) non-refundable Covid advance from the PF by amending the EPF Scheme, 1952; (iv) extension in the date of filing  of  returns;  (v)    issuing  advisory  to  promptly  attend  to  distress calls  of  workers  /employees  and  also  guide  them  in  temporary shelters;  (vi)  using  Building  and  other  construction  workers  (BOCW) cess  fund  for    transfer  of  adequate    funds  in  the  bank  account  of construction workers affected by COVID-19 outbreak;  (vii) supporting employees and workers by not terminating them and not cutting their wages; and (viii) for taking preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

- (c): A statement showing the total quantum of amount withdrawn from Employees' Provident Fund Account during lockdown period  of  Covid-19  pandemic  from  25.03.2020  to  31.08.2020,  Statewise, is at Annexure-A.
- (d): Government has taken various steps for generating employment  in  the  country  like  encouraging  private  sector  of  the economy, fast tracking various projects involving substantial investment and encouraging public expenditure on schemes such as Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme, Mahatma Gandhi National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme,  Pandit  Deen  Dayal Upadhyaya  Grameen  Kaushalya  Yojana  and  Deen  Dayal  Antodaya Yojana -National Uraban Livelihoods Mission, National Carrier Service, Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana.
- (e): There is no such proposal under consideration at present.

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Annexure A

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 190 FOR REPLY ON 14.09.2020 BY SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA, SHRI BENNY BEHANAN, SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE, SHRI BIDYUT BARAN  MAHATO  AND  SHRI  SANJAY  SADASHIVRAO  MANDLIK  REGARDING TOTAL AMOUNT WITHDRAWN FROM PROVIDENT FUND.

| Sl. No.   | STATE/UT NAME                                           | Amount withdrawn from 25.03.2020 to 31.08.2020 (Rupees in CRORE)   |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | ANDHRA PRADESH                                          | 1,232.48                                                           |
| 2         | ASSAM & OTHER NORTH EAST STATES                         | 227.15                                                             |
| 3         | BIHAR                                                   | 309.95                                                             |
| 4         | CHANDIGARH                                              | 506.73                                                             |
| 5         | CHHATTISGARH                                            | 402.59                                                             |
| 6         | DELHI                                                   | 2,940.97                                                           |
| 7         | GOA                                                     | 184.27                                                             |
| 8         | GUJARAT (INCLUDING DADRA& NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU) | 2,115.17                                                           |
| 9         | HARYANA                                                 | 2,220.82                                                           |
| 10        | HIMACHAL PRADESH                                        | 267.55                                                             |
| 11        | JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH                              | 0.44                                                               |
| 12        | JHARKHAND                                               | 294.03                                                             |
| 13        | KARNATAKA                                               | 5,743.96                                                           |
| 14        | KERALA (INCLUDING LAKSHADWEEP)                          | 1,288.09                                                           |
| 15        | MADHYA PRADESH                                          | 941.30                                                             |
| 16        | MAHARASHTRA                                             | 7,837.85                                                           |
| 17        | ODISHA                                                  | 512.64                                                             |
| 18        | PUNJAB                                                  | 642.93                                                             |
| 19        | RAJASTHAN                                               | 868.40                                                             |
| 20        | TAMIL NADU (INCLUDING PUDUCHERRY)                       | 4,984.51                                                           |
| 21        | TELANGANA                                               | 2,619.39                                                           |
| 22        | UTTAR PRADESH                                           | 1,613.03                                                           |
| 23        | UTTARAKHAND                                             | 398.79                                                             |
| 24        | WEST BENGAL (INCLUDING ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS      | 1,249.90                                                           |
| TOTAL     | TOTAL                                                   | 39,402.94                                                          |

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