EPFO’s Reform Drive Gains Ground As Members Rush To Resolve Old Issues

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has intensified its reform efforts to enhance the responsiveness and member-friendliness of its services, according to a recent report by The Indian Express. The organisation, which oversees the retirement savings of millions of Indian workers, is now focusing on long-pending grievances, from delays in pension payments to errors in personal details that have held up claims for years.

Face-To-Face Help For Frustrated Members

Across regional offices, the effort is beginning to show. In Delhi’s Wazirpur office, for instance, officials report that the number of daily visitors has doubled, with nearly 500 members visiting every day. Most come with familiar problems, missing contributions, incorrect names, or accounts that have not been linked properly. What’s different now is the response they receive.

The Samadhan initiative, which allows members to meet officers directly instead of being passed from desk to desk, has turned out to be one of EPFO’s most effective outreach steps in years. Each case is tracked by an officer till it is fully resolved, ensuring that complaints don’t vanish into files. In another key reform, a “Single Window Death Claim Counter” has been set up to help families of deceased members complete paperwork quickly, sparing them the ordeal of repeated visits at a difficult time.

Clearing The Backlog, Bit By Bit

EPFO manages over 30 crore accounts with a corpus that has crossed Rs 26 lakh crore. But a large part of its data still comes from the pre-digital era. Many members, especially those who have worked in multiple cities or changed employers frequently, struggle to trace their old accounts or link their Universal Account Numbers.

To fix this, the organisation is taking a two-track approach. On one hand, it’s upgrading its IT systems, improving server capacity, and streamlining claim processes. On the other hand, it’s strengthening human engagement by urging regional commissioners to personally monitor complaints and ensure accountability.

Officials say the changes are starting to make a difference. Members are getting quicker responses, and issues that once dragged on for months are now being resolved in weeks. The idea, they explain, is to replace red tape with responsiveness, to make the country’s largest social security organisation something its members can actually rely on.