In an apparent effort to extend the availability and reach of online services to its millions of subscribers in the wake of the COVID-19 cooronavirus pandemic, revised instructions have been issued by Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme (EPFO) to its field offices to facilitate PF members to rectify their date of birth in EPFO records, thus ensuring that their UAN is Know Your Customer (KYC) compliant.
According to revised instructions, the date of birth recorded in 'Aadhaar' will now be accepted as valid proof of date of birth for the purpose of rectification, provided that the difference in the two dates is less than 3 years.
The PF subscribers will be allowed to submit the correction requests online. This will enable EPFO to validate the date of birth of members online with UIDAI instantaneously, thus authenticating and reducing the processing time of change requests.
EPFO has also directed field offices to expedite disposal of online requests inorder to help PF members in financial distress, to apply online for availing non refundable advance from their PF accumulations to tide over the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 28, the Labour and Employment Ministry had notified amendments to the EPFO with an aim to allow the EPFO members to allow withdrawal not exceeding the basic wages and dearness allowances for three months or up to 75 per cent of the amount present in the EPF account of the member.
“The Commissioner or, where so authorised by the Commissioner, any officer subordinate to him, may, on an application from any member of this Scheme employed in any establishment or factory located in an area declared as affected by outbreak of any epidemic or pandemic by the appropriate government, permit a non-refundable advance from the provident fund account of such member not exceeding the basic wages and dearness allowances of that member for three months or up to seventy-five per cent of the amount standing to his credit in the Fund, whichever is less,” the Ministry’s notification said.
