EPFO to issue National Social Security Number / Dec 28, 2005 / NewIndPress

From Indiapensions

EPFO to issue National Social Security Number

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to speed up the settlement of PF and pension claims, Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will issue National Social Security Number (NSSN) to the four crore members covered by the scheme.

The issuance of NSSN, on the lines of PAN given by the Income Tax Department, will be completed in an year. Regional Provident Fund Commissioner (Kerala) V.G.Divakaran told reporters at a news conference here on Tuesday. The NSSN will enable an EPF member to carry on with the same account number even if the person changed jobs or shifted within the country.

According to him, over 4 lakh establishments covered by the EPF scheme had been asked to provide the details of their employees in a prescribed form. Based on the data received NSSN cards will be prepared by the EPFO's regional offices. This will reduce the accounting problems and enable the worker to have the claim settled early, he said.

The preparation of the cards will be outsourced to competent agencies to avoid delay. In the state, NSSN has already collected details of around 1.6 lakh subscribers of the total 12,77,042 accounts involved.

Looking at a sector wise brake up, the biggest chunk of arrears was due from the crisis-ridden plantation sector.