IAS Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India visited the EPFO, Zonal Office, Chandigarh on 14 May, 2024 and reviewed the performance of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Zone. Under Punjab and Himachal Pradesh zone, there are 6 regional offices Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Shimla, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda and 11 district offices. Officers in charge from all these offices also participated in the review meeting. Hon’ble Secretary also reviewed the settlement of claims through auto mode. EPFO has also started settlement of claims ranging from Rs 50,000/- to Rs 100,000/- under Para 68-J of the EPF Scheme, 1952 through auto mode, thereby providing more ease to the subscribers in getting their provident fund amount in lesser time. On this occasion, a beneficiary Sita wife of late Bal Kishan was also presented a cheque of Rs 5,34,566/- under the Employees Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme by the Hon’ble Secretary. Her husband Bal Kishan had died on 27.01.2024.
Under the Employees Pension Scheme, 1995, it is mandatory for the pensioner to update his life certificate every year. But due to death of the head of the family or any other reason, some pensioners are not able to update their life certificate, as a result of which their pension is stopped. A special campaign was launched by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Zone to restart the pension of those pensioners whose pension was pending for the last five years due to non-updation of life certificate. To ensure that their pensions, which were pending for the past many years, reached the pensioners, special efforts were made by the officers and employees of the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh zone of the Employees' Provident Fund Organization. As a result of which till now the pensions of 650 such pensioners have been restarted. 25 such cases have been penned down and presented in the form of an e-booklet “Eik sakaratmak pehal ” which was released today on 14.05.2024 by Sumita Dawra, IAS, Hon’ble Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment. On this occasion, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh zone Kumar Rohit was also present.