EPF not deposited, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited orders special audit

Subhash Rajta

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Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 26

Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) has ordered a special audit to ascertain whether the EPF/ESI amount of the employees working on the outsourced basis is being deposited regularly by the service providers concerned.

“Yes, we have ordered a special audit to see whether the EPF/ESI amount is being deposited as per the norms,” said RK Sharma, Managing Director, HPSEBL.

The board ordered the audit after the PF Commissioner, Himachal Pradesh, issued a show-cause notice to it with regard to the service providers/vendors not depositing the EPF/ESI amount of the outsourced workers in their accounts.

The audit is going on, and the PF Commissioner has sought a report within 15 days. The HPSEBL Employees Union claims that the audit will unearth a scam running into crores of rupees. “We have raised our voice against the exploitation of the outsourced employee by vendors. We are hopeful that the audit will blow the lid off a massive scam,” said HPSEBL Employee Union secretary HL Verma.

There are around 2,800 employees working on the outsourced basis in the board, provided by around five or six service providers. “The board pays around Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh monthly to the service providers as the EPF/ESI of the employees for depositing in their accounts. However, we have come across several cases in the past where some service providers have not deposited the EPF/ESI amount,” said Verma.

He said that many outsourced employees, who were to get benefits such as an immediate financial assistance and pension in the event of death and injury, were denied these because the service providers had either not deposited the EPF/ESI amount at all or had not done so regularly.

“In the past few years, around five or six outsourced employees have died and many have been seriously injured while performing their duty. The families of the deceased employees are entitled to a financial compensation and pension, as per the EPF norms. However, most of them did not get any assistance because their service providers had not deposited the EPF and ESI amounts,” said Verma. Overall, there are around 40,000 employees working on outsourced basis in the state.

PF Commissioner issued show-cause notice

• The board ordered the audit after the PF Commissioner, Himachal Pradesh, issued a show-cause notice to it with regard to the service providers/vendors not depositing the EPF/ESI amount of the outsourced workers in their accounts
• The HPSEBL Employees Union claims that the audit will unearth a scam running into crores of rupees
• The PF Commissioner has sought a report within 15 days