Employers can file unified EPF, ESI returns from tomorrow

Taking another step towards ease of doing business, the Centre will launch tomorrow a common registration facility on e-biz portal which will enable employers to avoid filing separate EPF and ESI returns.
"Labour Ministry will launch the Common Registration Facility on e-biz Portal, integration of the annual return under Mines Act 1952 and common ECR (Electronic Challan cum Return) for EPFO/ESIC with the ShramSuvidha Portal, here tomorrow," the Labour Ministry said in a release.
The ministry has decided to integrate the registration process under five Labour Acts with the e-biz portal of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) so that various registrations required by a unit can be obtained through a single window.

The five Central Labour Acts covered in this process include Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948, Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 and Building and Other Construction workers (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act, 1996
It will also cover Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment & Condition of Services) Act, 1979 and Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment & Condition of Services) Act, 1979.
A unified Web Portal 'ShramSuvidha Portal', was launched on October 16, 2014, is already catering to four major Organisations under the Ministry of Labour, namely Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Directorate General of Mines Safety, Employees' Provident Fund Organization and Employees' State Insurance Corporation.

The ShramSuvidha Web-Portal activated the facility for allotment of LIN and the Transparent Inspection Scheme and subsequently facility for filing Online Single Annual Return under the 8 Central Acts was launched on April 24, 2015.

Now it is to facilitate the returns under the Rules/Regulations under the Mines Act 1952 also on the ShramSuvidha Portal.
Further, facility for online submission of Common Electronic Challan-cum-Return (ECR) for Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) and Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has been developed on the ShramSuvidha Portal, it added.
This service will reduce the transaction costs of business and make it easy and convenient for employer/establishment to meet their obligations.

Thus it will not only be a leap towards better environment for business but also will motivate the informal economy to get formalized, it added.