Summary of this article
EPFO considers a new initiative, 'Suvidha Providers or authorised facilitators', to assist EPF subscribers.
The upcoming CBT would discuss the initiative before it is approved.
Suvidha Providers would get incentives based on member services.
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is considering plans on providing assistance to EPF members through EPF Suvidha Providers. This is a new initiative being planned by EPFO that would be discussed in the coming meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the decision-making body for EPFO. Although the date of the meeting has not yet been announced, based on the cycle of previous meetings, the 239th meeting of the CBT may be held in February 2026.
EPFO will regulate the suvidha providers or facilitators. It will authorise them to provide assistance to EPF subscribers, according to a report by the Times of India.
At present, EPFO members have to visit EPF offices or call the customer care, which is not of much help, and the unresolved queries tend to convert into grievances. The report said the initiative is aimed at addressing the issue of providing assistance to members and to enhance their experience. The suvidha providers would also get an incentive for their work, based on the number of members they have provided the services to.
Lately, EPFO has made several changes in the EPF scheme, its rules and processes to improve users’ (subscribers’) experience, reduce processing time and address grievances.
Recently, EPFO tied up with the India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) to provide doorstep facility to EPS-95 pensioners to submit their digital life certificate. Considering that ageing pensioners may find it difficult to understand the digital life certificate submission process and may not be able to visit the bank, post office or the disbursing authority’s office every year, doorstep facility can help pensioners living alone, and especially those in remote areas.
These facilitators will especially be trained to help first-time users, informing them about the unfamiliar digital system of the EPFO. The idea is to create a layer between EPFO and members to provide assistance. This would reduce the necessity to visit a PF office. The pilot of the initiative is already being tested in Delhi. Based on the observations and feedback from this, the CBT would decide how it could be rolled out across the country.
One of the significant reforms that EPFO has announced recently includes changes in withdrawal rules, where it has permitted withdrawal of 75 per cent of the corpus under three categories.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-enabled EPF withdrawal is also on the way, tentatively, to start from April this year. Along with the auto-settlement limit of Rs 5 lakh, UPI-based withdrawals, revised withdrawal percentage, and suvidha providers, the withdrawal process is expected to become much more convenient for EPF subscribers in future.
