EPF is in urgent need of an overhaul for flexibility and portability

Employees must be allowed to pause or reduce ontributions, and the promised portability between EPF and NPS should be enabled

My friend Pranay (55) recently recounted an ordeal. Fifteen years ago, he was the chief executive officer (CEO) of a company that defaulted on Employee Provident Fund (EPF) contributions due to financial distress. As the designated “employer”, criminal proceedings were launched against him. The company later restructured and cleared all EPF dues with interest, and Pranay moved on. To his shock, he recently received a court summons related to the old case. With his former employer unwilling to defend him, he had to scramble for a stay order — a temporary relief before the case resurfaces. Long after the issue