EPFO starts new WhatsApp service for checking PF balance and passbooks

Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched a new WhatsApp service for members of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation on Sunday. Subscribers can now use this verified platform to check their PF balance, view their last five transactions, look at their passbook, and get help with the Employment Linked Incentive scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana. The retirement fund body has more than thirty-four crore total members and over eight crore active subscribers. The Ministry of Labour and Employment stated that this service brings routine tasks to a familiar mobile platform and cuts down the need to visit EPFO offices. Alongside this, the organisation started automatic settlement for inoperative EPF accounts that hold balances of up to one thousand rupees after checking identity and bank details. Beneficiaries with Aadhaar-verified accounts do not need to file individual claims for these funds. This change helps about one lakh accounts and involves five crore rupees, while the EPFO manages a total retirement corpus of nearly thirty-two lakh crore rupees. Speaking at the 74th Foundation Day of the EPFO, Mandaviya stated that social security needs human sensitivity and workers deserve respect and dignity. He asked officials to focus on new worker-friendly ideas as the organisation moves toward its 75th year. Labour Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar also spoke at the event, noting that labour reforms must reach workers in both the organised and unorganised sectors.

Context

The EPFO is a key government body that manages social security and retirement savings for millions of Indian workers. Digital updates like WhatsApp integration aim to make these financial services easier to reach without paperwork.