Lok Sabha Question No. 3927 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Features of Employees’ provident Fund Scheme
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Manjulata Mandal, Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Pawan Rajenimbalkar, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, DNV Senthilkumar. S., Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Gautham Sigamani Pon, C.N. Annadurai, Dhanush M Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3927 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2022

## FEATURES OF EMPLOYEES' PROVIDENT FUND SCHEME

## 3927. DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

SHRIMATI MANJULATA MANDAL:

SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH alias PAWAN  RAJENIMBALKAR:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR. S.:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

SHRI GAUTHAM SIGAMANI PON:

SHRI C.N. ANNADURAI:

SHRI DHANUSH M. KUMAR:

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

- (a)the salient features of Employees' Provident Fund Scheme and the estimated number  of  employees  presently  covered  under  Employees'  Provident  Fund (EPF), State/UT-wise;
- (b)the  State-wise  total  number  of  employees  who  are  contributing  regularly  to
- EPF fund;
- (c)whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  to  ease  the  eligibility  norms  to benefit the beneficiaries and if so, the details thereof and the time by which the said proposal is likely to be implemented;
- (d)whether a large number of EPF accounts of staff/ workers are lying inactive
- for the last many years, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (e)whether it is also proposed to enhance employers' contribution under EPF and if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  total  number  of  cases  of  Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) settled by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation
- during each of the last three years and the current year; and
- (f)the  total  number  of  cases  of  EPF  for  settlement  during  the  said  period, State/UT-wise; and whether any norms  have been prescribed for the processing of claims, if so, the details thereof along with rate of settlement? ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

- (a): The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, 1952  is one of the  three  schemes  framed  under  the  Employees'  Provident  Funds  and Miscellaneous Provisions  (EPF & MP) Act, 1952.  The  EPF  Scheme, 1952

aims at providing social security to employees employed in an EPF covered establishment in  whole  of  India  including  Jammu  &  Kashmir  and  Ladakh. Under the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, 1952, an employee of any  covered  establishment  drawing  monthly  wages  up  to  Rs.  15,000  is statutorily required to join the fund and to contribute 12% of wages, which includes   basic wages, dearness allowance and retaining allowance, if any.

The employer is also required to contribute 12% of the wages.

A member of the EPF Scheme, 1952 is entitled to the benefit of withdrawal and advance from the EPF as per the provisions contained in the said scheme. Further, the Scheme was amended in March, 2020 by inserting the provision for allowing non-refundable advance to EPF members during Pandemic / Epidemic. This provision allowed EPF members to avail advance from  their  EPF  account  to  the  extent  of  75  per  cent  of  their  balance  or three-month wages whichever is less. The EPF members who have already availed  the  first  COVID-19  advance  can  also  opt  for  a  second  advance.  A member is also entitled for credit of interest on his/her PF accumulations each year.

The details of State/UT-wise total members as on 31.03.2021 are at Annexure-I.

- (b): The details of Zone-wise average contributing members (202021) are at Annexure-II.
- (c): The wage ceiling for coverage under the EPF Scheme, 1952 is revised from time to time. Presently, it is Rs.15000/- per month.

The Code on Social Security, 2020 (36 of 2020), was notified on 29.09.2020, which subsumes 9 Central labours laws including the Employees' Provident  Funds  and  Miscellaneous  Provisions  Act,  1952.    The  Central Government  may frame  any  other  scheme  or  schemes  for  the  purposes  of providing  social  security  benefits  under  the  said  Code  to  self-employed workers or any other class of persons as per clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 15 of the said Code. There is a provision under section 16 of the said Code  which  enables  the  Central  Government  to  prescribe,  by  notification, different rates of employees' contribution for specified period for any class of employee. However, the said Code has not yet come into force.

(d): As per paragraph 72(6) of the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, 1952, certain accounts are classified as 'Inoperative Accounts' and such accounts, have definite claimants. As on 31.03.2021, the amount lying in 11,72,923 inoperative accounts was Rs. 3930.85 crore (unaudited).

(e)  &  (f): No,  Sir.  Employees'  Provident  Fund  Organisation  (EPFO)  has  a robust online and transparent mechanism of claims processing and settlement system in place, which is regularly monitored at the highest level. This system provides the access to the subscribers to ascertain the status of claim till the settlement is complete. The processing of claims is an ongoing activity and the time taken is less than 20 days for most of the claims. The details  of  Zone-wise  total  number  of    provident  fund  final  claims    settled during the years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 ( 22.03.2022)  are at Annexure-III.

***                                                       ******

| Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.3927 for answer on 28.03.2022 by Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe and Other Hon'ble MPs regarding Features of Employees' provident Fund Scheme .   | Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.3927 for answer on 28.03.2022 by Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe and Other Hon'ble MPs regarding Features of Employees' provident Fund Scheme .   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total Member Accounts as on 31.03.2021 - State/UT-wise                                                                                                                                                                | Total Member Accounts as on 31.03.2021 - State/UT-wise                                                                                                                                                                |
| States/UTs                                                                                                                                                                                                            | Total Member Accounts                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Andaman &Nicobar Islands                                                                                                                                                                                              | 52,791                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 52,39,997                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur &Nagaland                                                                                                                                                                           | 11,41,058                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Bihar                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | 22,24,195                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                                                                                          | 22,29,247                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Delhi                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | 1,99,08,340                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Goa                                                                                                                                                                                                                   | 16,38,652                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Gujarat, Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu                                                                                                                                                                           | 2,02,28,910                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Haryana                                                                                                                                                                                                               | 1,91,64,075                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                                                      | 18,90,796                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Jammu &Kashmir                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 2,63,735                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Jharkhand                                                                                                                                                                                                             | 26,59,006                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Karnataka                                                                                                                                                                                                             | 3,02,70,006                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Kerala &Lakshadweep                                                                                                                                                                                                   | 37,58,835                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Ladakh                                                                                                                                                                                                                | 2,760                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 59,04,928                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Maharashtra                                                                                                                                                                                                           | 5,21,50,254                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Meghalaya &Mizoram                                                                                                                                                                                                    | 1,43,986                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Odisha                                                                                                                                                                                                                | 37,36,094                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Puducherry                                                                                                                                                                                                            | 7,88,532                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Punjab &Chandigarh                                                                                                                                                                                                    | 74,82,970                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Rajasthan                                                                                                                                                                                                             | 68,15,577                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                                                                                            | 2,98,45,826                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Telangana                                                                                                                                                                                                             | 1,41,37,217                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Tripura                                                                                                                                                                                                               | 1,12,094                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                                                         | 1,20,70,424                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                                                                                           | 38,77,217                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| West Bengal &Sikkim                                                                                                                                                                                                   | 1,10,48,836                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| All India                                                                                                                                                                                                             | 25,87,86,358                                                                                                                                                                                                          |

Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha  Unstarred Question No.3927 for answer on 28.03.2022  by  Dr.  Amol  Ramsing  Kolhe  and  Other  Hon'ble  MPs  regarding    Features  of Employees' provident Fund Scheme

Average Contributing Members - Zone wise (2020-21)

| Zone                                                    | Contributing Members   |
|---------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh (Vijaywada)                              | 11,48,445              |
| Bengaluru (Bengaluru)                                   | 45,36,903              |
| Bihar &Jharkhand (Patna)                                | 12,60,867              |
| Chennai &Puducherry (Chennai)                           | 29,91,524              |
| Delhi &Uttarkhand (Delhi)                               | 34,34,924              |
| Gujarat (Ahmedabad)                                     | 30,51,245              |
| Haryana (Faridabad)                                     | 23,75,103              |
| Jammu, Kashmir &Ladakh                                  | 1,53,754               |
| Karnataka (Other than Bengaluru) &Goa (Hubli)           | 13,30,016              |
| Kerala &Lakshadweep (Thiruvananthapuram)                | 11,25,670              |
| Madhya Pradesh &Chhattisgarh (Bhopal)                   | 16,19,021              |
| Maharashtra (Excluding Mumbai) (Pune)                   | 32,49,072              |
| Mumbai I (Bandra)                                       | 31,57,352              |
| Mumbai II (Thane)                                       | 28,63,234              |
| North-Eastern Region (Guwahati)                         | 4,17,114               |
| Odisha (Bhubaneswar)                                    | 8,23,951               |
| Punjab &Himachal Pradesh (Chandigarh)                   | 14,42,307              |
| Rajasthan (Jaipur)                                      | 11,38,991              |
| Tamil Nadu (Excluding Chennai) (Coimbatore)             | 21,09,751              |
| Telangana (Hyderabad)                                   | 28,76,832              |
| Uttar Pradesh (Kanpur)                                  | 22,39,001              |
| West Bengal, Andaman &Nicobar Islands &Sikkim (Kolkata) | 29,39,210              |
| All India                                               | 4,62,84,287            |

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (e)  & (f) of Lok Sabha  Unstarred Question No.3927 for answer on 28.03.2022 by Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe and Other Hon'ble MPs regarding  Features of Employees' provident Fund Scheme.

## Provident Fund Final Claims Settled

| ZONENAME                                                  | 2018-19   | 2019-20   | 2020-21   | 2021-22 (22.03.2022)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------------------|
| ANDHRA PRADESH (VIJAYWADA)                                | 1,20,446  | 1,20,158  | 1,36,759  | 1,22,099               |
| BENGALURU (BENGALURU)                                     | 5,14,363  | 4,62,187  | 5,85,483  | 4,65,001               |
| BIHAR &JHARKHAND(PATNA)                                   | 89,769    | 80,205    | 1,03,892  | 98,630                 |
| CHENNAI & PUDUCHERRY (CHENNAI)                            | 3,82,602  | 3,14,389  | 3,28,047  | 2,85,429               |
| DELHI&UTTARAKHAND                                         | 5,23,845  | 5,00,622  | 5,39,466  | 4,33,253               |
| GUJARAT (AHMEDABAD)                                       | 4,37,234  | 4,28,748  | 4,73,200  | 4,29,961               |
| HARYANA                                                   | 4,27,701  | 3,79,201  | 4,27,321  | 3,67,014               |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH#                               | 0         | 0         | 790       | 26,473                 |
| KARNATAKA (OTHER THAN BENGALURU) &GOA(HUBLI)              | 1,61,130  | 1,46,144  | 1,66,262  | 1,43,813               |
| KERALA & LAKSHADWEEP (THIRUVANANTHAPURAM)                 | 1,53,779  | 1,23,495  | 1,25,587  | 1,16,495               |
| MADHYA PRADESH & CHHATTISGARH (BHOPAL)                    | 2,03,863  | 1,87,057  | 2,16,564  | 1,85,689               |
| MAHARASHTRA(EXCLUDING MUMBAI)(PUNE)                       | 4,38,904  | 3,89,331  | 4,10,829  | 3,90,850               |
| MUMBAI-1 (BANDRA)                                         | 2,44,262  | 1,87,589  | 2,46,861  | 2,07,830               |
| MUMBAI-2 (THANE)                                          | 3,73,208  | 3,22,785  | 3,87,898  | 3,41,559               |
| NORTH-EASTERN REGION (GUWAHATI)                           | 39,172    | 34,943    | 32,391    | 38,898                 |
| ODISHA (BHUBANESWAR)                                      | 96,251    | 63,536    | 71,818    | 77,534                 |
| PUNJAB &HIMACHAL PRADESH                                  | 2,54,599  | 2,45,783  | 2,41,971  | 2,20,505               |
| RAJASTHAN                                                 | 1,58,245  | 1,47,915  | 1,61,190  | 1,39,128               |
| TAMIL NADU(EXCLUDING CHENNAI)                             | 3,14,284  | 3,04,614  | 3,12,127  | 2,85,101               |
| TELANGANA (HYDERABAD)                                     | 2,76,532  | 2,35,786  | 2,69,213  | 2,38,468               |
| UTTAR PRADESH                                             | 3,20,649  | 2,82,143  | 2,98,671  | 2,86,738               |
| WEST BENGAL, ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS & SIKKIM (KOLKATA) | 2,30,756  | 1,87,737  | 2,19,489  | 2,54,181               |
| TOTAL                                                     | 57,61,594 | 51,44,368 | 57,55,829 | 51,54,649              |

# extended by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 (34 of 2019)

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