Default in PF remittances by PSUs, Bedi seeks legal opinion

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today sought Law Department's opinion on who could order judicial probe to fix responsibility on non-remittance of Provident Fund of employees of PSUs and cooperatives in the union territory.
In an urgent message toSendhil Kumar, Law Secretary, she sought the opinion of the department on who can order judicial inquiry on the matter.
Bedialso sought the opinion as to who monitors the matter and what remedial measures should be taken to prevent any recurrence.
Stating that any diversion of EPF was a criminal offence, Bedi said she believed that people's hard earned money was involved, she said in the message, a copy of which was made available to the press.

Bedi had raked up the default issue in a tweet on Friday and had stated as per information available to her from the office of EPFO, there was a default in remittance of Rs 36.23 crore of the workers and staff in various Public Sector undertakings and cooperative societies in Puducherry.
After she highlighted the issue, Welfare and Labour Minister M Kandasamy and Parliamentary Secretary K Lakshminarayan told reporters yesterday that the default had happened in previous regimes and it was the responsibility of the managements of the undertakings concerned.

The pointed out that the present government has no role at all in the default of remittances'.

Bedi in her twitter today said that she was glad "whoever is responsible for the default in remittance of the EPF stands exposed and hopefully will stem the rot and start the recovery'.
She also tweeted that 'an exposure is discomforting.But so is facing the truth. Employees will fully have the relief".
Bedi who was away in Delhi since yesterday would return to Puducherry tonight.