Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, J&K and Ladakh, Rizwan Uddin visited Kupwara today to address a mega district outreach programe "Nidhi Aapke Nikat 2.0" conducted by employees provident Fund organisation(EPFO), Ministry of Labour & Employment in collaboration with District administration Kupwara.
This awareness and outreach programe was held at the meeting hall of DC office complex Kupwara.The aim of the programme was to ensure broad participation, awareness, grievance redressal, handholding, training and information exchange between stakeholders and EPFO.
A large number of subscribers, pensioners, private school teachers, casual labourers, employees, employers, representatives, contractors, and officers of District Administration Kupwara besides other stakeholders participated in the mega outreach programme.
At the outset, Regional PF Commissioner, Rizwan Uddin thanked Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Dr. Doifode Sagar Dattatray for organising such an impressive and well attended outreach programe on a very short notice.
Regional PF Commissioner highlighted the importance of enrolling more and more employees, contractual or casual, drivers, and conductors under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to extend the benefits of social security schemes like Employee's Provident Fund Scheme, 1952, Employer's Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme, 1976 and Employees Pension scheme, 1995.
The PF Commissioner spoke at length about rights of employees and duties of employers."Employees have the right to social security. If an employee in the private sector deposits a provident fund for 10 years he has the right to pension in the private sector, "the PF Commissioner said.
PF Commissioner directed concerned officers of District administration to frame the list of employees in the private sector and send them to EPFO so that employees are hand-holded properly for their enrolment under provident fund.
In the well attended mega outreach programe Employers and employees of private sector were sensitized about provisions of social security, besides covering themes of EDLI – eligibility, benefits and claims, Keeping track of passbook accounts, Importance of E-nomination, Know Your UAN, UAN Activation, & member profile – KYC, and UAN related issues.
Rizwan Uddin stressed that EPFO will ensure remittance of provident funds in respect of all eligible members well in time and appropriately. He also assured to resolve the issues faced by the schools, hotels, private firms, other establishments and stakeholders by providing handholding support and training particularly on UAN activation, KYC updation, Claim settlement and E-nomination.
Live demonstrations about enrollment, and redressal of grievances were made for a number of employees of Schools and other Establishments. Several grievances were solved on the spot besides the correction of several names through virtual mode by PF Commissioner himself.
Similarly Feedback and queries regarding different grievances from the participants were received and several grievances were redressed on spot after taking the grievances with concerned quarters through virtual mode.
N. Gopalakrishnan, RPFC – I (Audit, HQ) central Observer addressed the programe and highlighted the importance of social security schemes. Hilal Ahmad Mir Assistant Commissioner Development Kupwara, who is District Nodal officer from district administration Kupwara coordinated the out-reach programe and thanked the EPFO on behalf of District administration Kupwara for giving awareness about importance of social security schemes.
Earlier on the way to Kupwara, PF Commissioners also interacted with the workers deployed by some firms and enquired about PF benefits being received by them.It is pertinent to mention here that EPFO, provides handholding support to the stakeholders at the respective venues, besides hearing their suggestions, inputs and grievances.