The EPFO on Friday deferred a decision on interest rate on provident fund deposits for 2010-11 following pressure from trade unions that want rates to be raised to 9.5-10.5 per cent from 8.5 per cent.
The steep one percentage points increase has taken the interest on PF deposits of 4.71 crore organised sector workers to a five-year high.
For the sixth year in a row, over 4.7 crore (47 million) subscribers of retirement fund manager EPFO are likely to get 8.5 per cent interest on their deposits in the current fiscal.
A consensus eluded the Central Board of Trustees on the controversial issue of interest rates for 3 crore (30 million) provident fund subscribers amid indications that the board would take up the matter next month.
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation will be seeking approval from its apex decision-making body, the Central Board of Trustees, to implement a finance ministry order to invest up to 15 percent of the fund in equity. The new pattern that was notified last year comes into force from April 2010.
The decision would leave a surplus of Rs 15.26 crore.
The government has asked the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to begin parking three to five per cent of its subscribers' retirement funds in stocks for better returns -- a move that would also increase flow of funds to capital markets by up to Rs 13,000 crore (Rs 130 billion).
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Friday decided to give 8.5 per cent interest on provident fund deposits of 4.5 crore (45 million) subscribers.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation will not be able to pay more than 8.5 per cent interest on PF deposits during 2009-10 as it has no reserves left following a Rs 139 crore (Rs 1.39 billion) deficit incurred last fiscal.
Over 4.7 crore (47 million) employees are likely to get an interest of 8.5 per cent in 2010-11 on their provident fund deposits of about Rs 2.5 lakh crore (Rs 2.5 trillion), a return authorities have been giving for the past five years.
The Central Board of Trustees of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) today decided to retain the previous year's interest rate of 8.5 per cent for the current fiscal.
The Employees Provident Fund Board may examine the option of investing five per cent EPF corpus money in stock markets, Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes said on Tuesday. Ahead of the meeting of EPF Central Board of Trustees to finalise the interest rate for 2007-08, Fernandes said that the option to make investment in the capital market was "still open".
The central government has notified the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) rate of interest at 8.5 per cent for 2006-07. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of EPF, in July, had recommended interest at 8.5 per cent. The government has now accorded its approval to notify the specified rate of interest for the year.
The Central Board of Trustees of Employees Provident Fund is likely to defer a decision on interest rate to be given to its more that 4 crore (40 million) employees this fiscal.
Employees Provident Fund Organisation fails to arrive at a decision on interest rate.
Bowing to pressure from Left- backed trade unions, the Employees Provident Fund Board agreed on Monday to continue paying 8.5 per cent interest rate to its nearly 4 crore subscribers for fiscal 2006-07 as well.
After a three-hour meeting of the Central Board of Trustees of the EPF, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said that the meeting decided to continue with 8.5 per cent for 2007-08, ignoring the demands by trade unions to hike the interest rate to 9.5 per cent.
The EPFO had decided that 8.15 per cent interest from its debt income would be credited immediately and the remaining 0.35 per cent capital gains from the equity sale would be given later, subject to its redemption.
The failure of the government to decide on the interest rate for provident fund is likely to hit around two million subscribers.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation on Wednesday categorically ruled out differential rates for its 3 crore subscribers.
The EPF Board on Saturday failed to clinch the contentious issue of interest rate for the current fiscal for its four crore subscribers and rejected finance ministry's proposal to invest 5 per cent of the EPF money in the equity market.
The EPF board will meet on Wednesday to take a firm view on the interest rate for its 4 crore (40 million) subscribers during 2005-06, even as trade unions are demanding Prime Minister's intervention to retain 9.5 per cent.
According to the EPFO estimates, there would be a surplus of Rs 151.67 crore after providing 8.65 per cent rate of interest for 2018-19 on EPF.
Six establishments -- including Tata Motors -- have been selected as the best employers by the Central Board of Trustees of Employees Provident Fund Organisation.
There will be tripartite pact with member, bank/housing agency and EPFO.
Following the footsteps of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation has entrusted the UTI Investor Services with the job of creating the required infrastructure for issuing its much-bragged social security number.
The EPFO has about 5 crore (50 million) subscribers and the decision will have a bearing on their retirement fund.
The Employees Provident Fund Board on Saturday recommended a 9.5 per cent interest rate for its around four crore (40 million) subscribers for 2004-05.
This was decided at a four-hour meeting of the Central Board of Trustees of EPF chaired by Labour Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.
The meeting of Central Board of Trustees is likely to be stormy on Thursday with both right and left wing trade unions making up plans to demand at least 9.5 per cent EPF rate
Detecting frauds worth about Rs 1 crore in claims settlement across the country, Employees Provident Fund Organisation on Wednesday decided to set up a fact finding team to investigate into the matter as part of efforts to prevent such misdemeanours.
The Central Board of Trustees of Employees Provident Fund Organisation on Tuesday approved a scheme allowing subscribers to withdraw up to 90 per cent of the accruals to invest in Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana.
Having dipped into its reserves for paying 9.5 per cent interest for four crore subscribers in 2004-05, the EPF trustees would meet in New Delhi on July 30 to arrive at returns to be offered this fiscal.
The third crucial meeting of the EPF Board began in New Delhi to decide on the interest rate for its 3 crore subscribers for this year amidst some trade unions' demands for 12 per cent interest against 9.5 per cent offered during 2003-04.