Early Times Report JAMMU, Oct 29: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Regional Office Jammu, celebrated its 74th Foundation Day in Jammu with a renewed commitment to strengthening social security, improving service delivery and expanding the reach of provident fund and pension benefits to workers and pensioners. Sat Paul Sharma, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, UT of Jammu & Kashmir, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The event was attended by Sumeet Singh, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-I, RO Jammu; Naresh Kumar Yadav, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II; Sunil Kumar Toura, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II, RO Srinagar and Tarun Singla, President, Bari Brahmana Industries Association, UT of J&K, Virender Jain, President, Gangyal Industries Association, Ashok Choudhary, President, BMS along with officers, officials and other stakeholders. Addressing the gathering, Sat Paul Sharma, Chief Guest, appreciated EPFO's role in safeguarding the social and financial security of employees and their families. He emphasised the importance of ensuring timely settlement of claims, efficient pension services and greater awareness among workers and employers about social security benefits. He encouraged EPFO to continue strengthening its outreach and responsiveness to the needs of its members. He appealed to establishments to promptly register under Vishwas Scheme and avail the benefits and waivers of penalties under the scheme. Sumeet Singh, RPFC-I, RO Jammu, highlighted the achievements and initiatives undertaken by the Regional Office in extending social security services to members and pensioners. He informed that RO Jammu had settled 80,946 claims involving an amount of Rs 267.53 crore during the current financial year, reflecting the office's continued efforts towards timely and efficient service delivery. He further stated that 1,515 pensioners had been served through the office's pension-related services. Highlighting the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY), Sumeet Singh informed that, out of 3,852 eligible establishments in Jammu, 2,564 establishments had registered under the scheme. The registrations cover 9,874 eligible beneficiaries under Part A (employees) and 29,675 under Part B (employers/jobs generated). He emphasised that the scheme is an important initiative to encourage formal employment, support job creation and strengthen the social security framework for India's workforce. |