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Government Launches Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2025
What’s the News?
- The Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched the Employees’ Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2025.
- This initiative provides a special, one-time window for employers to voluntarily declare and enroll eligible employees who were previously left out of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) social security net.
- The campaign aims to promote voluntary compliance, formalize the workforce, and extend social security coverage to all eligible employees.
- The campaign is operational for six months.
Campaign Eligibility and Duration
- Campaign Window: The scheme is active from November 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026.
- Eligible Employees: It covers all employees who joined an establishment between July 1, 2017, and October 31, 2025, but were not enrolled in the EPF scheme for any reason.
- Condition: To be eligible, employees must be alive and currently employed by the establishment as of the date of declaration.
- Eligible Employers: All establishments, regardless of whether they are already covered by the EPF & MP Act, 1952, can participate. This includes establishments currently facing inquiries under Section 7A of the Act.
Key Provisions and Benefits
- Waiver of Employee Contribution:
- The employee’s share of the PF contribution for the past period (July 2017 to October 2025) will be waived entirely.
- This is conditional on the employer not having deducted this share from the employee's wages previously.
- Employer’s Liability:
- Employers are only required to pay their own share of PF contributions for the past period.
- They must also pay the applicable interest (under Section 7Q) on their share.
- Nominal Penalty:
- Employers will only be charged a nominal lump-sum penalty of ₹100 per establishment for the past non-compliance. This replaces the standard, much higher damages.
- Declaration Process:
- Employers must submit a single declaration for all eligible employees online via the EPFO portal.
- They must create a Face Authentication-based Universal Account Number (UAN) for each employee through the UMANG app.
- Linked Benefits: Employers who register under EEC 2025 may also be eligible for benefits under the Pradhan Mantri-Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana (PMVBRY), subject to its conditions.