Recently, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), has come out with new provisions for making things easier for certain of its employees. Earlier it was mandatory to link UAN with Aadhaar card for claiming settlements for all the employees, employers or any related person to that employee. However, this requirement was earlier relaxed for certain specific categories of employees.
Who Gets the Relaxation?
International Employees: Employees who stayed in India but later were transferred to other countries without an Aadhaar card, do not need the card.
Indian Citizens Abroad: Those Indians who hold the passport of another country and do not live in India anymore will also not be required to link Aadhaar.
Nepal and Bhutan Citizens: Nepalese and Bhutanese workers, who are registered with their respective organisations in the EPF and are not working in India are also eligible.
Alternative Documents Allowed
Earlier only Aadhaar was acceptable to the centre however these four employees can used other legal documents such as Passports and citizenship certificates etc for their identity. For Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens, just a citizenship certificate is needed Different countries may have different requirements for purchasing an insurance policy from an insurance company.
Strict Scrutiny for the Contention
EPFO has ensured that all the claims came from the employees who do not possess the Aadhaar card will go through a vigorous scrutiny. All the details will be well scrutinized to avert such complications.
Payment Through NEFT
The claims of these employees will be so addressed and the employees shall be paid through cheques deposited into their bank accounts through NEFT.
This decision by EPFO is welcome especially for those who are struggling to interface their Aadhaar cards. It provides a more efficient claimant identification process when using other forms of identification documents.
