Tamil Nadu has maximum number of firms defaulting on PF dues

Tamil Nadu, including Puduchery, has the maximum number of 5,198 firms which did not pay their PF dues during 2013-14.
Tamil Nadu, including Puduchery, also has the maximum number of PF defaulter firms of 1,141 during this fiscal till June followed by Kerala including Lakshadweep which has 967 such firms in the period, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
Kerala, including Lakshadweep had 2,803 defaulting firms on PF dues in 2013-14, followed by Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana, at 1,466 in the previous fiscal.
Tamil Nadu had the maximum number of 3,609 and 4,563 firms defaulting on PF dues in 2012-13 and 2011-12 respectively, the minister said.

Total number of firms defaulting on PF dues were 15,046 in 2013-14; 12,496 in 2012-13 and 13,060 in 2011-12. During the current fiscal till June, the number of such firms was 3,725.
"Some of the establishments including government bodies covered under the EPF & MP Act 1952 have defaulted for different periods in remitting their shares of provident fund contribution," the minister said.

"Wherever it was found that PF contribution has been deducted from the salary of employees but not deposited in the fund, action under Section 406/409 of Indian Penal Code has been taken," he said.
The section 406/409 provides description and punishments for criminal breach of trust.

Replying to another question, the minister said that Rs 27,448.54 crore is lying in inoperative accounts as on March 31, 2014. The PF accounts are classified as inoperative accounts in which contribution have not been received for 36 months consistently.
The maximum amount of Rs 6,765 crore is laying in inoperative accounts in Maharashtra followed by Karnataka (Rs 3,013 crore) and Delhi (Rs 2,430 crore).
The minister also informed the house that as per the investment pattern notified on November 21, 2013, the investment in equity is not permitted.