EPFO to simplify claim processes, conduct awareness campaign

Bengaluru’s business governance is great, as the city has thousands of digitally native and responsible firms, and yet, only 38,000 business establishments are registered currently under the EPFO system here, said Salil Sankar, Regional Commissioner, EPFO.

There are 60,000 establishments under 14 EPFO offices across Karnataka, cumulatively covering some 72 to 78 lakh of subscribers (employees), Mr. Sankar added.

Participating at an interactive session organised by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) here on Wednesday, the Regional Commissioner outlined the EPFO’s ongoing efforts to create awareness among employers and employees about the benefits and incentives which are provided by the Centre for new employment generation under the Prime Minister’s Vikisit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY), the steps taken by EPFO to streamline workflows, reduce documentation burdens, and improve turnaround time through digital platforms such as EPFO 3.0.

The goal is to ensure that social security systems are procedurally not complex, transparent, and seamless, he said.

Amnesty scheme

Additionally, the EPFO plans to launch the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2025, a one-time amnesty scheme for employers to regularise unregistered employees without facing penalties, by paying the employer’s contribution, 7% interest, and a nominal fee of ₹100.

Narrating the organisation’s digital transition journey, Mr. Sankar said that the shift to digital began in 2011, particularly with the introduction of the Universal Account Number (UAN), which led to KYC-related chaos and required massive effort to validate data, and now, around 99.73% accounts are Aadhaar-seeded and the EPFO was focusing on stabilising the system. The staff have been instructed to prioritise claim settlements over minor deficiency checks for validated members, he added.

However, he insisted that employers must cooperate by correctly filing the Electronic Challan cum Return (ECR) and managing exit dates to prevent further complications in member accounts.