When Kundan Kumar Malakar was hacked to death in the wee hours of December 10 last year at the Central Bank of India's ATM at Maurya Lok, where he was on duty as guard, the world came crashing down for his family. His widow, Babita Devi, was at her wits' end over how to take care of her two young sons and a daughter. Babita did not know there was a guardian angel watching over the family: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
The EPFO took a proactive approach to provide Malakar's due benefits to the bereaved family. Apart from providing a lump sum to the family, the organisation will also provide monthly pension to them.
"The family was supported according to Malakar's claims under his Employees' Provident Fund," S.K. Jha, the regional provident fund commissioner (Patna Circle), explained.
"When we came to know about the incident, we took up the case on priority basis so that the family members can get their claims as soon as possible."
He added: "When we came to know about the incident (Malakar's murder) from television and newspapers, we decided to come forward to help the guard. Our first job was to find out the agency under which Malakar was working. After coming to know of the agency, the next task was to check whether Malakar's provident fund was deducted from his salary or not. The family had no idea about deduction of provident fund from his salary."
Malakar (45), who lived with his family at Imambara locality near Golghar, was working as a security guard hired by Calcutta-based security agency Global Force Management Services Pvt. Ltd. He had joined service on January 1, 2016, at a salary of Rs 4,500 per month. He had worked for 11 months 10 days.
Jha on Friday handed over a cheque of Rs 1.45 lakh to Babita at the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation office. The amount includes Rs 8,563 - the accumulated provident fund (PF) in Malakar's account - apart from Rs 1,37,118 that the family has received as insurance benefit. Apart from this, the family will get Rs 2,711 as monthly pension. Rs 1,811 will be credited every month in Babita's account, while Rs 453 each will be credited in the accounts of her two children, Amar (15) and Prem (11), every month.
"As per EPF rules, at a time only two children are entitled to get the pension money," Jha explained. "The dependents are decided by their seniority (age). The children will get the pension money till they attain the age of 25 years."
When Amar becomes 25 years old, his pension will be transferred to Malakar's daughter, Shruti, and she will get the pension money till she turns 25, even if she marries before that.
"In Babita Devi's case, she will get the pension money till her life but the pension money will stop if she goes for remarriage," Jha said.
"The fund is of great importance for me," a sobbing Babita said after receiving the cheque and the certificate. "After the death of my husband, I was worried how I would take care of my children. But the fund provided by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has come as a great relief."
The family did not even know that they were entitled to the benefits.
"My husband never told me about deduction of pension money from his salary account," said Babita, who had come along with her son Prem and daughter Shruti to receive the cheque and certificates.
Malakar was hacked to death by a robber who had gone to loot the ATM. Police had arrested the main accused in the case, Shivam Kumar, five days after the murder.
Shivam told his interrogators that he wanted to loot the ATM and had killed Malakar when he tried to stop him. Shivam is learnt to have told the cops that he decided to loot the ATM as he was in dire need of money.
