EPFO serves notice on 696 defaulters in Faridabad

Faridabad, December 21

The Regional Office of the Employees’ Provident Funds Organisation (EPFO) here has issued notices to 696 companies/establishments for not depositing a total of Rs 29.74 into their employees’ accounts.

Already, 50 companies have been served with arrest warrants (for relevant employees) for not complying with the norms of the recovery procedure initiated by the organisation.

With the EPFO Regional Office stepping up the recovery process, defaulters have been warned of strict action, including issuance of arrest warrants, if they fail to clear their dues by the time specified, said the sources in the EPFO Office.

The total count of defaulters in the region is 696 while there are 144 companies that have failed to deposit the PF amount of Rs 9.29 crore during the current financial year. In 2022, 12 companies had not deposited PF funds.

The organisation has issued show-cause notices to defaulters, while many companies have now been issued arrest warrants as the last resort to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations.

Under a special recovery drive, the EPFO is making efforts to recover the outstanding dues from the establishments that failed to deposit PF amounts into their employees’ accounts.

All registered companies must contribute a certain sum — 12 per cent of the employee’s salary — to the PF account of each employee. Many employees, however, had complained that the PF amount was deducted from their salaries but not deposited into their PF accounts. The district has around 28,000 industrial and commercial units.

EPFO Assistant Commissioner Krishan Kumar said the defaulters have been given adequate time and opportunities to clear the dues. The arrest warrant is issued under Sections 8 (B) to 8 (G) of the Employees Provident Fund Act, 1952.

“The employers of the establishments that failed to deposit the PF amount have been advised to clear the EPF dues to avoid attachment of their movable and immovable properties, bank accounts, etc,” he added.