Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 statutorily applies to employees getting wages upto Rs. 6500/- in respect of scheduled establishments employing 20 or more workers. State-wise details are given at Annexure.
The mechanism to regulate and monitor the implementation of Labour Laws is incorporated in respective Labour Laws.
Occasional instances of such nature have been noticed in the Employees Provident Fund offices.
All such observed cases are pursued vigorously and several measures have been taken to prevent and discourage such instances as per details given hereunder:-
(i) The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation website as on date provides all relevant information to its various stakeholders i.e. employees, employers, subscribers as well as the public at large.
(ii) All information relating to Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 & Scheme provisions including various application forms have been provided in a downloadable format.
(iii) Claim settlement status has also been provided on the website offline which is updated every day.
(iv) Facilities such as National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Short Messaging Service (SMS) (informing members on the settlement of their claims), facility to view account balances (in selective offices), claim status, filing of e-Challans in a few offices have also been made operational.
(v) Work related to processing, calculation & disbursement of payment is mostly computerized and carried out through the software provided by National Informatics Centre of Government of India in an environment where public interface is minimal.
(vi) The computerization has resulted in increased settlement thereby reducing pendency and backlog thus leading to lesser complaints and grievances. It has also lead to a more effective monitoring of pendency and settlements.
(vii) Besides complaint based investigations are carried out, checks are also undertaken during Surprise Inspections as well as Preventive Vigilance Inspections and for any irregularity noticed, actions are initiated against the officials involved.
(viii) To streamline and clearly define activities, circulars on Combating Corruption in Compliance matters have also been issued by the Vigilance Wing.
The Union Labour & Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge gave this information in reply to a written question in Rajya Sabha today.
Annexure
STATE-WISE DETAILS OF ESTABLISHMENTS COVERED AND WORKERS ENROLLED UNDER THE EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND SCHEME, 1952
(As on 31.03.2011)
|
STATE |
ESTABLISHMENTS |
No. OF MEMBER ACCOUNTS |
| Andhra Pradesh |
58,651 |
35,55,127 |
| Bihar |
8,513 |
3,58,622 |
| Chhattisgarh |
7,990 |
4,24,319 |
| Delhi |
41,688 |
50,87,138 |
| Goa |
3,442 |
7,15,663 |
| Gujarat |
58,231 |
33,03,243 |
| Haryana |
32,315 |
41,72,951 |
| Himachal Pradesh |
6,918 |
1,96,828 |
| Jharkhand |
10,264 |
10,08,136 |
| Karnataka |
44,235 |
88,95,497 |
| Kerala |
18,332 |
19,45,981 |
| Madhya Pradesh |
19,280 |
20,12,058 |
| Maharashtra |
1,06,621 |
1,01,98,186 |
| North East Region |
9,164 |
3,66,594 |
| Orissa |
14,988 |
7,22,370 |
| Punjab |
32,253 |
35,44,884 |
| Rajasthan |
23,109 |
12,27,658 |
| Tamil Nadu |
75,999 |
84,21,904 |
| Uttar Pradesh |
43,225 |
19,38,354 |
| Uttarakhand |
5,508 |
6,19,013 |
| West Bengal |
39,820 |
28,74,144 |
|
TOTAL |
6,60,546 |
615,88,670 |
*****
People Covered under EPF and ESIC
The people covered under the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, 1952 during the last three years is given below:
Number of Members’ Accounts (in lakhs)
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| 470.72 | 587.86 | 615.89 |
The details are given hereunder:
i) March, 2009 125.69 lakhs
ii) March, 2010 138.96 lakhs
iii) March, 2011 154.28 lakhs
Details of the number of companies and the total amount in default for the last three years are given below:
| Year | Total number of establishments defaulted |
Amount in Default (Rs. in Crores) |
||
| EPF | ESIC | EPF | ESIC | |
| 2008-09 | 79,931 | 1,08,184 | 2,993.12 | 1,267.32 |
| 2009-10 | 79,059 | 1,32,087 | 2,923.14 | 1,309.00 |
| 2010-11 | 78,588 | 1,64,964 | 2,979.71 | 1,357.00 |
The Union Labour & Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge gave this information in reply to a written question in Rajya Sabha today.
Covering All the Labourers under Medical and ESI Scheme
The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 applies to employees of factories employing 10 or more persons and certain specified establishments such as shops, hotels and restaurants, cine and preview theatres, road-motor transport undertakings, newspaper establishments, educational and private medical institutions employing 20 or more persons located in areas where the scheme is in force. 14 States have also extended coverage to shops and establishments employing 10 or more persons. Employees of factories and establishments covered under the scheme drawing monthly wages upto Rs. 15,000/- are covered under the scheme. As on 31.03.2011, the scheme is in force in 790 industrial centres in the country covering 1.55 crore insured persons. The total number of beneficiaries including family members of insured persons who are entitled to medical care under the scheme is 6.02 crore. The scheme is in force in all States and Union Territories except Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. Similarly, under the provisions of the Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, establishments employing 20 or more persons are coverable. The establishments which are not coverable statutorily could be covered on voluntary basis if a majority of the employees and employer are willing.
For the purpose of coverage under ESIC and Employees Provident Fund, there is no criterion whether the establishment falls under organized or unorganised sector. Hence, no such separate details of the number of unorganised sector workers covered under the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952 or Employees State Insurance Scheme are available. The total number of workers in 6,60,546 establishments have 6,15,88,670 members’ accounts under Employees’ Provident Fund Organization.
The Union Labour & Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge gave this information in reply to a written question in Rajya Sabha today.
Please clarify the ESI area Covered from Barbil, Keonjhar , Odisha, Yes of No.