More staff in EPFO ambit

New Delhi: The much-awaited minimum monthly pension of Rs1,000 and a higher wage ceiling of Rs15,000 for social security schemes run by retirement fund manager EPFO will be implemented from September 1. The government’s decision to fix pension entitlement of Rs1,000 under the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 (EPFS-95) will immediately benefit 28 lakh pensioners who get less than this amount at present.

The move to enhance the minimum wage ceiling for becoming a subscriber of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation to Rs15,000 per month is expected to bring 50 lakh additional formal sector workers under the ambit of the body.“The government has notified enhancement of wage ceiling to Rs15,000 per month, fixed minimum monthly pension at Rs1,000 under EPS-95 and enhanced the maximum sum assured under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme to Rs 3 lakh,” EPFO’s Central Provident Fund commissioner K. K. Jalan said.

Mr Jalan said, “Now the maximum sum assured under the EDLI works out to be Rs 3.6 lakh including 20 per cent ad hoc benefit over the prescribed amount under the notification.” This means that in case an EPFO subscriber dies, his family will be entitled to maximum sum assured of '3.6 lakh instead of existing Rs 1.56 lakh. Mr Jalan said the notification regarding minimum pension, wage ceiling and Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance would be effected from September 1.

Thus all pensioners getting less than Rs1,000 per month would get at least this much pension from October. The decision to provide the entitlement under Employee Pens-ion Scheme 1995 was taken by the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on February 28. But it could not be implemented earlier because the model code of conduct came into force after the general election dates were announced on March 5.

The decision will immediately benefit about 28 lakh pensioners, including 5 lakh widows. In all, there are 44 lakh pensioners under the EPFO scheme. The EPFO’s apex decision making body the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) had met on February 5 and decided to amend the EPS-95 scheme for the purpose.