In a letter to Labour and Employment Minister, who is also the Chairman of EPFO’s apex decision-making body, the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the association sought measures to strengthen the system by bringing in more technocrats and professionals.
CITES was introduced as part of EPFO’s efforts to modernise operations and reduce claim settlement timelines. The system was expected to enable automated processing of a majority of claims within 2-3 days.
However, according to PTI, the officers’ body said several claims had remained pending for more than 20 days after the rollout of the system.
What concerns has the EPF Officers’ Association raised?
The association has highlighted gaps in EPFO’s internal technology capabilities, stating that the organisation is attempting to run a technology-driven system with limited in-house IT resources.
According to PTI, the body said there has been no direct recruitment in EPFO’s Information Services Division (ISD) for several years, with the last recruitment taking place in 2004.
It also said EPFO has not been able to appoint a full-time Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the past three years.
While outsourcing software development is a common practice, the association said adequate internal technical expertise is needed to guide and evaluate technology projects.
Why is the CITES rollout significant?
EPFO manages provident fund services for millions of subscribers, including claim settlements, transfers and withdrawals.
The move towards automation was aimed at improving efficiency, reducing manual intervention and enabling faster service delivery.
The association said EPFO services directly impact around 25-35 crore people, including subscribers, pensioners and their families, PTI reported.
What manpower issues have been flagged?
Apart from technology-related concerns, the officers’ body has also raised issues around staffing levels at EPFO offices.
According to PTI, the association said the last workload assessment at EPFO was carried out in 2016-17, while the organisation’s responsibilities and subscriber base have increased significantly since then.
It also pointed to higher workload pressures in offices located in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Gurugram.
