EPFO reaches out with 'Nidhi Aapke Nikat'

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has rechristened Bhavishya Nidhi Adalat as 'Nidhi Aapke Nikat', in a bid to expand its reach and attract more participation.
Bhavishya Nidhi Adalat has been a key grievance redressal mechanism, but with changing times, subscribers' expectations have undergone a sea change, EPFO said in a circular today.
"It's, therefore, required that EPFO adopts a new form and structure to reflect the changed ground realities regarding service delivery standards and rename the Adalat in a way that would depict our commitment to all stakeholders to provide the best of services," it said.
"Therefore, after wide-ranging consultations within the organisation, it has been decided to rechristen Bhavishya Nidhi Adalat as Nidhi Aapke Nikat."

The old nomenclature runs the risk of being perceived as intimidating to the poor and the under-privileged and may put them off with its connotations of a courtroom atmosphere, it reasoned.
However, it clarified that the rechristening should not be seen merely as a name-changing exercise.

"As the name would suggest, it's an endeavour on the part of EPFO to be more accessible to different stakeholders, including employers... A common platform to facilitate exchange of ideas and dissemination of information, besides grievance redressal," it said.
With the new step, EPFO is expected to move away from a pure grievance redressal-centric approach to a broader and more participatory one.

Touted as a public outreach programme, Nidhi Aapke Nikat will not just address subscribers' issues, but invite their suggestions and sensitise stakeholders about new initiatives.
Nidhi Aapke Nikat will hold its public meeting on 10th of every month starting July 2015, as was the case with Bhavishya Nidhi Adalat.
In case the 10th happens to be a holiday, the programme shall be conducted the next working day, it added.