|
| EPFO crackdown on defaulters soon... | |
| BS Reporters / Kolkata June 02, 2009, 22:23 IST | |
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) would clamp down on the jute mills who failed to pay the provident fund dues of the employees through coercive and legal actions, a top government official said.
“Of the 59 jute mills in and around Kolkata, most are defaulters. We are trying to recover the amount through all sorts of measures, including coercive actions,” said S S Prasad, regional PF commissioner, EPFO, on the sidelines of an interactive session organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BNCCI) in Kolkata on Tuesday.
According to Prasad, almost all the defaulting jute mills have filed for litigation against the EPFO, and in several cases, the EPFO had moved the Supreme Court for reversal of the judgements by the Calcutta High Court.
The jute industry has been witnessing labour unrest and frequent strikes over the last few years on issues like non-payment of standing provident fund (PF) and gratuity dues.
In May last year, a personnel of a jute mill in Titagarh, North 24-Parganas, was battered to death in his office on the mill premises, while the Sangrami Mazdoor Union (SMU) conducted protests in the premises.
The shrinking demand for jute in the packaging industry has also been a cause of concern for jute mill owners. Of the 59 jute mills in and around Kolkata, 52 are operating. Even in the operating jute mills, the production has been falling.
...to roll out NSSN
EPFO,that is yet to roll out the National Social Security Number (NSSN), has now made some modifications in the scheme in software related areas and has also changed its IT vendor from Siemens Information Services Ltd to National Informatics Centre(NIC). “We have completed trial runs in Karnal in Punjab and will soon replicate it here,” said a senior EPF official in the Kolkata Circle.
|
|
Content Guide
