The much-awaited minimum monthly pension of Rs.1,000 and a higher wage ceiling of Rs.15,000 for social security schemes run by retirement fund manager Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will be implemented from September 1.
The government’s decision to fix pension entitlement of Rs.1,000 under the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 (EPFS-95) will immediately benefit 28 lakh pensioners who get less than this amount at present. The move to enhance the minimum wage ceiling for becoming a subscriber of the EPFO to Rs.15,000 a month is expected to bring 50 lakh additional formal sector workers under the ambit of the body.
“The government has notified enhancement of wage ceiling to Rs.15,000 per month, fixed minimum monthly pension at Rs.1,000 under EPS-95 and enhanced the maximum sum assured under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme to Rs.3 lakh,” EPFO’s Central Provident Fund Commission K. K. Jalan told PTI.
Mr. Jalan said: “Now the maximum sum assured under the EDLI works out to be Rs.3.60 lakh, including 20 per cent ad hoc benefit over the prescribed amount under the notification.” This means that in case an EPFO subscriber dies, his family will be entitled to a maximum sum assured of Rs.3.60 lakh instead of existing Rs.1.56 lakh.
Mr. Jalan said the notification regarding minimum pension, wage ceiling and EDLI would be effected from September 1. Thus all pensioners getting less than Rs 1,000 per month would get at least this much pension from October.
