Aadhaar must for EPF, deadline extended to 31st March

The deadline for providing the Aadhar card number has been extended by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), to 31^st march, 2017. The organisation has urged the subscribers to the scheme and pensioners to adhere to the deadline. The retirement fund body has made Aadhar mandatory for all pensioners as well as the subscribers so as to continue to remain the beneficiary of its social security schemes. Post the expiry of the new deadline the EPFO would assess the situation and decide whether a further extension is required or not. Earlier, the EPFO had asked its field offices to provide wide publicity to the move and had written to employers to create awareness among members and pensioners about providing Aadhaar. Aadhaar had been made mandatory to ensure that there is no fraud in distribute pension and there is complete transparency. The retirement entity has undertaken a massive upgrade of its technology. The last date for submitting digital life certificate for pensioners has also been extended to March 31. Earlier this year, the labour ministry had made it mandatory for members and pensioners of the Employees Pension Scheme to furnish proof of possession of the Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication according to the procedure laid down by the EPFO.

The extension of the deadline will surely act as a sigh of relief to most people who were still unable to procure an Aadhar card. The action taken by the EPFO to make Aadhar compulsory for all was a much required measure for securing every Indian citizen with at least one valid photo ID proof.