Over 4.72 crore subscribers of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will soon be able to track the status of their claim settlement and account transfer online and also get updates on their mobile phones.
The entire data of the retirement fund manager EPFO will be digitalised by March-end.
“We have already completed the digitalisation of data in 113 offices and work in seven other will be completed by the end of next month,” Central Provident Fund Commissioner Samirendra Chatterjee told PTI.
“Once the digitalisation process is completed, the account transfer and money withdrawal claims status could be done and tracked online,” he said.
Besides, the subscribers would be intimated via Short Message Service (SMS) on the mobiles about the status of their request.
In case of account transfer, the subscribers would get two messages — first, stating that the account is closed, and second, about the amount of money transferred from old to new one, an EPFO official said.
Similarly, for claim settlement requests, an SMS will intimate the subscriber that the EPFO has received the application. Once the claim is settled, the applicant will get another message stating the amount that has been credited in the specified bank account.
However, this facility will be available only to those who provide their mobile numbers in their application forms.
On applying for account transfer and claim settlement online, he said: “It would be possible only in the next phase. But through digitalisation we would try to adhere to the norm of settlement of claims and account transfer in a month's time.”
At present, it takes months to settle claims and transfer of accounts because everything is done manually.
Published - February 09, 2011 02:37 am IST