EPF subscribers to have PAN-model card / Dec 27, 2005

From Indiapensions

EPF subscribers to have PAN-model card

Thiruvananthapuram: Seeking to ensure speedy settlement of PF and pension claims, Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will within an year issue National Social Security Number (NSSN) to four crore members covered by the scheme on the lines of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) given by the Income Tax Department within an year.

The NSSN would enable an EPF member to carry on with the same account number even if the person changed his job or moved from place to place within the country, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Kerala, V G Divakaran told a press meet here.

Over four lakh establishment covered by EPF scheme had been asked to provide the details of their employees in a prescribed form based on which NSSN cards would be prepared by EPFO's regional offices. "This will reduce the accounting problems and enable the worker have the claim settled early," he said.

The preparation of the cards would be outsourced to competent agencies to avoid delay.

In Kerala, NSSN had collected details of 1.6 lakh subscribers out of 12,77,042 accounts involved.

The total arrears of payment from employers in the state stood at about Rs 100 crore.

About 45 per cent of the amount was pending due to litigations. The defaulting employers included state PSUs. Sectoral wise, the biggest chunk of arrears was due from the crisis-ridden plantation sector which stood at Rs 20 crore.

Up to November end in fiscal 2005-06, 7000 workers from 320 establishments had enrolled in EPF in Kerala. The additional enrolment was 20,155 in 2003-04 and 26,122 in 2004-05.