The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation’s (EPFO) regional offices including at Rourkela and Allahabad have set an example by reaching out to the beneficiaries who were not aware of the welfare schemes.
The Regional Office, Rourkela has been catering for large number of industries of the western part of Odisha since the 1960s. Though several workers were able to get an early pension (at reduced rate) following closure of industrial houses in the last two decades, many others who were yet to attain the age of 50 or did not render contributory service of 10 years were not able take the benefit.
As a result, the pension contributions of such workers remained with the organization. It was subsequently found that many of these workers had died without drawing pension or withdrawal benefits.
The regional office then contacted Workers' Union and senior personnel of the industries to collect information about these workers. Later, they were asked to make applications for monthly member/family pension where it was found due and payable.
In few cases, the workers were found to have not taken back the pension contributions (for having contributory service of fewer than 10 years) and were offered to make applications for withdrawal benefits. In other cases, the members were not alive, therefore their heirs were offered to make applications for getting the benefits.
“The Regional office, Rourkela was able to settle 43 pension cases during the period with special efforts and handed over the PPOs,” tweeted EPFO.
Similarly, the Allahabad Regional office came to the rescue of a woman whose husband (working as a contract worker) died in an accident. The woman was not aware of the schemes run by EPFO.