Enrol under Rozgar Yojana: EPFO to employers

Lucknow: The Lucknow regional office of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) stepped up outreach efforts, urging eligible establishments to register under Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, the Centre's flagship employment-linked incentive scheme announced in the Union Budget 2024-25.Officials said of the 6,728 eligible employers in the region, 4,062 registered so far, bringing 29,548 new employees and 69,223 re-employed workers under the scheme. However, nearly 2,600 eligible establishments are yet to enroll, prompting the EPFO to intensify follow-ups. Ashwini Kumar Gupta, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-I, said sustained and systematic efforts were being made to ensure effective implementation. "All eligible employers should come forward to register so that both they and their employees can avail benefits in the first DBT phase scheduled for March 2026," he said. tnnThe regional office also flagged compliance gaps. Around 800 registered members' bank accounts are not DBT-enabled, while nearly 400 Universal Account Numbers (UANs) are not authenticated using Face Authentication Technology (FAT), a mandatory requirement. In addition, some establishments are not filing Electronic Challan-cum-Returns (ECRs) regularly since August 2024, which could affect eligibility.