EPFO offices to be redeveloped as Single-Window Service Centres: Mandaviya
Ahmedabad, Gujarat [India]December 26 (ANI): Union Minister of Labor and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday announced a series of major reforms to strengthen EPFO services across the country.
“All the upcoming and several existing EPFO offices are being converted into modern, technology-enabled, passport-seva-kendra style single-window service centres, enabling citizens to resolve any EPF-related issue at any regional office across the country,” the Minister said. he said.
Emphasizing that a pilot study is ongoing in Delhi, he said that from now on, the beneficiary will be able to address his problems at any regional office, thus eliminating the need to approach a particular office with which he was previously associated.
He further added that the Government will soon introduce the EPF Suvidha Providers mechanism to improve access for employees, especially first-time users and those unfamiliar with digital systems.
“These Suvidha Providers will be competent facilitators who will guide members to access benefits and solve their problems, thus acting as a bridge between citizens and EPFO,” he said.
Noting that a significant amount of workers’ money remains locked in non-working accounts, the minister highlighted that EPFO will now undertake duty mode KYC verification for such accounts and will also launch a dedicated digital platform to provide simplified claim filing and hassle-free resolution to the beneficiary.
Additionally, he noted that India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will include social security protection provisions to ensure that Indian workers working abroad can retain their PF contributions and access benefits even after returning to India, as seen in the case of the India-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement.
“EPFO today has a corpus of funds ₹28 lakh crore and provides interest of 8.25% per annum. “If the workers’ money is in EPFO, it is guaranteed by the Government of India,” he said.
“According to the ILO, before 2014, India’s social security coverage was only 19%. Today, this rate has increased to 64%, with international organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA) appreciating India’s progress. Today, 94 million people are under social security protection, making India the world’s second largest country in social security coverage after China. By March 2026, India will provide social security coverage to 100 million citizens,” he said. he added.
Mansukh Mandaviya was speaking at the inauguration of the newly constructed Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) Regional Office in Vatva, Gujarat. (MOMENT)
