A national Seminar on lnternational Workers was held today i.e. 06.7.2018 at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security, Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Janakpuri, New Delhi

With a view to protect the rights of migrant workers, Government of tndia decided to sign bilateral Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with different countries. So far lndia has signed SSAs with 18,different countries. The SSA coordinates the social security schemes of two contracting states in order to overcome the barriers and facilitale extension of benefits to beneficiaries.

ln order to implement the provisions of bilateral SSAs, special provisions for lnternational Worker (lW) were introduced in the EPF Scheme and Employees' Pension Scheme and given effect from 1't October, 2008.

The Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of lndia, is the nodal ministry for initiating negotiations for SSA on bilateral basis. Besides, the Ministry of Labour & Employment and EPFO are atso involved in the process of negotiations. EPFO has been designated as the Nodal Liaison Agency to operate the provisions of the SSAs and for issuing Certificates of Coverage (COC) to the employees when they are posted abroad in a country having SSA with lndia.

Participants lrom 44 different establishments from across the country and officers of EPFO took part in the seminar.

Secrdtary Labour & Employment, Shri Heera Lal Samariya inaugurated the seminar. He highlighted initiatives of the Government of lndia on issues involving job, wage & Social Security. He appreciated the e-Governance initiatives of EPFO'.

The Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Shri Sunil Barthwal, presided over. He highlighted that tndia sends 4th largest number of immigrants abroad and is in top 10 countries receiving migrant workers. He therefore stressed the need for improving the social security services to migrant workers.

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