SC asks Centre to consider revising wage ceiling for Employees Provident Fund Scheme
New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to consider taking a decision within four months on the revision of wage ceiling for the Employees Provident Fund Scheme (EPFO) which has not been revised in the last 11 years.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar passed the order on a plea filed by activist Naveen Prakash Nautiyal claiming that the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which administers social security schemes for employees, currently excludes from coverage those whose wages exceed Rs 15,000 per month.
Advocates Pranav Sachdeva and Neha Rathi, appearing for the petitioner, said the wage revision has not taken place in over a decade despite the fact that the minimum wage notified by the central government and by various states is more than the EPFO wage ceiling of Rs 15,000 per month.
Sachdeva said this has deprived the majority of workers of the benefits and protection of the EPFO scheme, which is essentially a social welfare scheme.
The petitioner has submitted that those employees who earn more than the wage ceiling are excluded from availing the EPFO scheme.
The bench disposed of the plea filed by Nautiyal and asked him to make a representation to the central government within two weeks along with a copy of the order which will be decided by the central government within four months.
Nautiyal’s plea said it is seeking enforcement of fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 and for directions regarding the arbitrary and irregular revision of the wage ceiling under the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, 1952, framed under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
