Srinagar, March 28: The 113th meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), EPF, was held in Srinagar on Friday, with a focus on streamlining claim settlements, IT upgrades, and processing pension applications on higher wages.
An official spokesperson said the meeting was chaired by Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, and attended by Central Provident Fund Commissioner Ramesh Krishnamurthi, senior officials from the ministry and EPFO, as well as representatives of employers and employees.
The committee reviewed the progress of EPFO’s digital initiative to enable instant Provident Fund (PF) claim settlements through UPI. The technology partner, CDAC, is working on API development and system integration with SBI and NPCI to ensure a seamless rollout under the EPFO’s IT modernization project, CITES 2.01. The initiative aims to provide faster claim settlements and enhance ease of living for members.
The EC also welcomed a proposal to increase the auto-claim settlement limit to ₹5 lakh, acknowledging its potential to benefit EPF subscribers significantly. Discussions on IT infrastructure and the CITES 2.01 implementation highlighted the completion of hardware upgrades and the consolidation of decentralized databases.
Modules for User Management, Centralized Payments, and Re-engineered ECR are undergoing final testing and are expected to be deployed within the next two months.
In reviewing the progress of pension applications on higher wages, the committee noted a 22.8 percent increase in processed applications compared to the previous month. A total of 3,26,152 demand letters have been issued, marking a 29.5 percent rise from last month’s figures. The EPFO reiterated its commitment to completing the process in line with the directives of the Supreme Court.
The chairperson emphasized the need for public awareness campaigns through print, electronic, and social media to highlight EPFO’s initiatives and governance efforts. The committee also discussed finalizing a strategic roadmap to transform EPFO into a more member-centric, technology-driven organization.