Union Minister for Labour & Employment, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the 71^st Foundation Day of EPFO held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi today through virtual mode. He congratulated everyone on the occasion. Shri Rameshwar Teli, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Smt. Arti Ahuja, Secretary Labour & Employment and Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Central P F Commissioner, Dr. Rajendra Kumar, Director General, ESIC were also present.

Shri Bhupender Yadav expressed happiness over the way EPFO has grown in the years gone by and the way it is managing its huge corpus of savings of the members. He also praised 'Nidhi Aapke Nikat,' an outreach program conducted by every EPFO office at the district level on the 27th of each month. The Union Minister also stated that EPFO had extended the Act's provisions to the working class of Jammu and Kashmir, effective from October 31, 2019.

Shri Yadav further exhorted EPFO to become a hassle free and technology driven Organization. He expressed satisfaction that EPFO is giving 8.15% interest this year and has already credited interest in more than 24 crore accounts.

Shri Rameswar Teli congratulated everyone on the occasion of 71^st Foundation Day of EPFO.  He praised the initiatives taken by EPFO to take service delivery close to the members & elderly pensioners in the North Eastern States through the Special State Offices in Imphal, Itanagar, Aizawl, Dimapur and Gangtok.

378. this occasion the Minister of State Shri Rameshwar Teli inaugurated an exhibition named “Amrit Kaal – Behtar Kal“, displaying the 71 years of EPFO history including chatbot and revamped MIS 3.0. A documentary film on journey of 71 years of the organization titled Achievements of EPFO was also played on the occasion highlighting the organization’s achievements over the seven decades.

Marking this event, the Minister of State unveiled the second edition of State Profile Booklet 2023, Establishment e-Report and Compendium of 50 Landmark Judgments and manual on Communication Framework Document, Audit Manual, Recovery Manual and Exemption Manual.

The Minister of State laid the Foundation Stone of the Regional Office building, Behrampore, Odisha in virtual mode.  He  inaugurated the Regional Office building in Tumkur, Karnataka in virtual mode. Shri G. S. Basavaraj, Hon’ble MP and Shri G.B. Jyothi Ganesh, Hon’ble MLA, Tumkur were present at site. The Minister of State also inaugurated the new Head Office Building in Kidawai Nagar, New Delhi in virtual mode.

A film on Mission Karmayogi@EPFO Training & Capacity Building was played displaying the eventful journey of training of officials of EPFO.

The function also marked the distribution of awards to various offices and establishments: -

• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Regional Office (Large) - RO COIMBATORE
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Regional Office (Small) - RO Rajahmahendravaram
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best District Office - DO ALIGARH
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Remote Office - RO GUWAHATI
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Zonal Office- ZO HUBLI (KARNATAKA- GOA)
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Office in Grievance Management - RO AHMEDABAD
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Office in Pro-Active Settlement - RO KOLLAM
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Performance in Jeevan Pramaan - RO VATWA
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best NAN 2.0 Campaign - RO JAMMU
• Bhavishya Nidhi Swachhata Award 2023 - RO BHOPAL
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Innovation - RO NOIDA
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Tech Intervention - Technical Team of NDC
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 in for Best Achievement in Capacity Building – PDNASS Induction Training Team
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Best Exempted Trust - M/s ZENSAR TECH LTD (PUPUN000398)
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Outstanding Sports Achievements - ZO Chennai & Puducherry
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Sportsperson of the Year – Female - Ms. Radhika Gupta, SSSA, RO Kandivali East
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Sportsperson of the Year – Male - Shri Clement Augustine, SSSA, RO Kottayam
• Bhavishya Nidhi Award 2023 for Sportsperson of the Year – Male - Shri P. Shiva Kumar, SSSA, RO Chennai North

Ms. Arti Ahuja, Secretary, Labour & Employment, expressed her happiness on the occasion and congratulated the winners of the awards. She appreciated the outreach activities carried out by organization under Nidhi Aapke Nikat . She urged EPFO to further deepen acceptability, accessibility and transparency in coordination with other verticals of Ministry of Labour & Employment so as to benefit from each other’s capabilities and resources under the convergence program of Government. She said manuals unveiled today will help in standardization of the procedures and bring uniformity within the Organisation.

Mrs. Neelam Shami Rao, Central Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO welcomed all the dignitaries who attended the 71^st Foundation Day of EPFO and congratulated everyone on the occasion.

The 234^th meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, EPF was also held on 31^st Oct in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Vice-Chairmanship of Shri Rameshwar Teli, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Petroleum & Natural Gas and Co-Chairmanship of Smt. Arti Ahuja, Secretary Labour & Employment and the Member Secretary Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Central P F Commissioner.

During the meeting, the following decisions were taken: -

1. The Board approved the 70^th Annual report on the functioning of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for the year 2022-23 and recommended it to the government for placing before the parliament.
2. The Board approved the Proposal for Surrender of exemption of 13 establishments and proposal for Cancellation of Exemption of 06 establishments under Section 17 (4) of EPF & MP Act, 1952, to Appropriate Government.
3. The Board took note on various HR issues of EPFO.
4. The Board approved the Amendments to the Recruitment Rules of Technical Cadres for Programmer, Assistant Director (IS), Deputy Director (IS), Joint Director (IS) and Director (IS) of Information Services Divisions creating scope for deputation, recruitment and promotion.
5. The Board approved process of obtaining Joint Requests under Paragraph 26(6) of EPF Scheme 1952.
6. The Board approved Project Report & Operationalisation of Next-Gen Security Operation Centre.
7. The Board approved the Communication Framework Document which will help in efficient and timely dissemination of information within EPFO and with its stakeholders.
8. The Board approved the Draft Audit Manual which will help to standardize audit procedures, provide a training resource for employees, facilitate decision-making, and to consolidate audit information in EPFO.          
9. The Board approved the Draft Recovery Manual which will help to standardize recovery procedures, serve as a training resource, provide a reference for decision-making, and to consolidate recovery information.
10. The Board approved the Draft Exemption Manual which will help in streamlining the procedures, training and consolidating the information and decided on many other items.

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MJPS