RS Chairman M Venkaiah bars Left from raising EPF rate cut

New Delhi, March 14

The Left and TMC members in the Rajya Sabha on Monday tried to raise the issue of lowering of interest rate on employees’ provident fund deposits.

However, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not permit them, saying they should first give a notice to raise the matter.

Soon after the House mourned the demise of four former members and tabling of listed papers and reports, CPI member Binoy Viswam, and some TMC members wanted to raise the issue related to the proposal to lower the EPF interest rate to a four-decade low of 8.1 per cent for the fiscal 2021-22 from 8.5 per cent in the previous year.

Naidu did not permit them to raise the matter during the Zero Hour.

“You write to me. Send a request,” he said.

The House observed silence for Nabin Chandra Buragohain, Rahul Bajaj, D P Chattopadhyaya, and Yadlapati Venkat Rao, who passed away recently.