Fill up OBC, general vacancies at EPFO: Par Panel

A Parliamentary panel has asked the Labour Ministry to fill up the large number of vacancies pending for general and other backward classes (OBC) in the retirement fund body EPFO in a time-bound manner.
"Labour Ministry is not serious to enough to fill up the up the huge pending vacancies in general and OBC vacancies in particular...A number of bona fide candidates especially from OBC category are being deprived of opportunities," the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of OBC said in its report tabled in both the Houses today.
The panel recommended that all general and OBC vacancies should be filled in time-bound manner.

There is a huge gap between the sanctioned strength of 24,659 in the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) against the actual strength of just 18,901 leaving a considerable shortage of 5,758 officials in all the category of officers and staff on March 31, 2014.
The committee was also surprised to note that EPFO has not developed a centralised data maintenance system even after the lapse of 10 year of enforcement of the Right to Information Act.
It recommended the EPFO to develop a computerised data maintenance with respect to all the recruitments made and reservation enforced at regional, zonal and headquarters level at least since 1993 and connect through a network so as to ensure easy smooth and quick access to such records on priority basis.

The committee also asked the EPFO to take initiative to start pre-recruitment training especially for the OBC candidates on priority basis so as to provide the backward community people a level playing field.

It noted that EPFO has nominated only three OBC employees out of 27 officials for attending foreign training programme during last three years.
It recommended that the EPFO should adopt a just and equitable approach for weaker sections of the society in future and accommodate more and more OBC officials in foreign training programmes, assignments and symposia.
The panel also said that EPFO should make all efforts to include at least one OBC officer in the departmental promotion committee on the line of inclusion of SC/ST officers in order to ensure their representation.

It has also asked the EPFO to consider recognising the formation of OBC Employees' Welfare Association in order to provide appropriate platform to the OBC employees to voice their sentiments, problems, grievances and complaints before management.