Ranchi, Dec.16: All the 3.3 lakh members of the EPF (Employees Provident Fund) scheme in Jharkhand will receive a social security card, announced the Regional PF Commissioner, N.K. Prasad, today. He was speaking to newsmen on his return from New Delhi after attending a meeting convened by the Union labour ministry.
Giving details of the advantages of the new social security card, Prasad said like the Photo Identity Card issued by the Election Commission, PAN card issued by the Income Tax department or the driving licence, the social security card will be acceptable all over the country.
The members will no longer have to get a fresh PF account if they leave a job and join another. The card will allow the holder to track his account and its status from anywhere in the country. What is more, it will also provide the member with another identification mark.
Prasad said steps have been taken to strengthen the grievance handling machinery. Admitting that both employers and employees have nursed several grievances against the RPF establishment, Prasad said: ?Now people can send grievances directly to me over my fax number, which is 0651-2209149,? he said, adding that officers have been deputed to attend to the grievances on a daily basis.
Annual statements of all account holders, he claimed, have already been issued for the year 2003-04 after calculating the annual interest of 9.5 per cent. Some of the accounts for 2004-05, too, have been finalised, he said and declared that all the annual statements for the previous year will be issued by the end of March, 2006.
Acknowledging that the number of employees covered by the EPF scheme in the state remains rather low, Prasad held out the promise of mounting pressure on defaulting establishments.
All establishments employing 20 or more employees, he pointed out, are required to implement the scheme and obtain a code from the RPF commissioner?s office. Once covered under the Act, the establishments are expected to file monthly statements and deposit the contribution of both employees and the employer. Since PF is part of the social security net and benefits employees? family after retirement or untimely death, he hoped establishments would come forward voluntarily to comply with the Act.
The 3.3-lakh members of the scheme in Jharkhand, he explained, included private school teachers and central government employees, too.
