NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 30
The Regional Office of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Ahmedabad on Thursday announced that total 5,984 establishments in Gujarat have already availed benefits of 24 percent of employees’ PF contribution by the Centre for April under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. Rs 13.95 crore has been credited into the accounts of 91.545 members.
Manoranjan Kumar, Regional PF Commissioner – 1, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Regional Office, Ahmedabad informed this in a media statement.
According to Kumar, out of these Rs 3.39 crores has been credited into the accounts of 22,192 members working in 1,488 establishments falling under Regional Office Ahmedabad.
Overall 76,560 establishments have already availed benefits all over India under this scheme for total 11,61,305 members and Rs 178 Crores has been paid in their accounts.
To fight coronavirus pandemic, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) announced by the government of India has made a provision for payment of 24 percent of employees monthly wages in their provident fund accounts for three months— April, May, and June 2020. This will cover the employees’ and employers’ share of PF contribution, giving big financial support to the workers and the establishments.
EPFO has also extended the last date for paying March 2020 PF contribution and the extended date now is May 15. This will also help more employers and employees to get benefited. Employers who have already paid PF contribution without availing the scheme benefit need not worry too. A reimbursement module is expected to be launched for such cases. Meanwhile, they can get benefits for April and May. Further, details of the scheme are available on EPFO website www.epfindia.gov.in under the tab ‘COVID 19’.
At one hand where employers have been provided relief, on the other hand, many members have availed of the COVID19 advance under PMGKY which allows non-refundable advance of 75 percent of the amount or three months of the wages, whichever is lower, from their Provident Fund accounts. Under Regional Office Ahmedabad, 18,000 claims have been received and advance for amount of Rs 34 crores have been already provided.
EPFO allows firms to file PF returns without simultaneous payment of dues
Retirement fund body EPFO on Thursday allowed employers to file monthly PF returns without making simultaneous payment of dues, giving a relief to about 6 lakh firms amid lockdown to combat the COVID-19 crisis.
Currently, the employers are required to file provident fund (PF) returns and make payment of dues simultaneously.
The PF returns have details about employees’ and employers’ contributions towards the social security scheme run by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
During the ongoing coronavirus-induced lockdown, businesses are not able to function normally and are facing liquidity issues or cash crunch to pay their statutory dues even though they are retaining the employees on their rolls, according to a statement by the Labour Ministry.
Keeping in view the situation and to further ease the compliance procedure under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, the filing of monthly electronic challan-cum-return (ECR) is separated from payment of the statutory contributions reported in the ECR, it said.
Now onwards, the ECR can be filed by an employer without any need of simultaneous payment of contributions, and contributions may be paid later by the employer after filing the ECR, it added.
The change will entail convenience to the employers as well as the employees covered under the Act.
Filing of ECR by the employer in time is indicative of the employer’s intent to comply with norms and will not, therefore, attract penal consequences if the dues are paid within the extended time as announced by the government.
Filing of ECR in time shall help in the credit of employer’s and employee’s share of contributions, totalling 24 percent of wages by the central government, to EPF accounts of low-wage earners in establishments eligible under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana package.
The current ECR data shall also help in policy planning and decision-making for further relief to the businesses and EPF members adversely affected by the pandemic, it added.
