Our mission is to provide as much liquidity as possible to the industry so that they can start their business: Mr. Sunil Barthwal, IAS, Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC), Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO)

No.PR-79 May 16, 2020 New Delhi Our mission is to provide as much liquidity as possible to the industry so that they can start their business: Mr. Sunil Barthwal, IAS, Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC), Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) New Delhi, 15th May 2020: To understand the current challenges and way forward, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a webinar session focused on Infrastructure, Construction and Other Industries with Mr. Sunil Barthwal, IAS, Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC), Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). The objective of the webinar session was to analyze the PF Issues faced by Industry concerning the compliance of rules and regulations, discuss their impact, highlight the major issues and concerns, and discover the way forward. Mr. Sunil Barthwal, IAS, Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC), Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) appreciated the pro-active steps of the governments for providing packages and reliefs provided to the industries during the times of COVID-19 which will help the industries to bounce back. Mr. Sunil Barthwal mentioned that the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has been active in supporting its members and stakeholders in the best possible manner through schemes and other reliefs. We have broadened our approach to support the MSME sector so that they can run their business smoothly. Our mission is to provide as much liquidity as possible to the industry so that they can start their business. With the use of digital payments, E-KYC, and the UMANG app we are reaching to every part of the industry and provide them with assistance and we will continue to develop ourselves. We have been taking feedback and are constantly trying to improve ourselves, Mr. Sunil Barthwal. He suggested that every organization needs to take care of its employees and in these times they should help and assist them so that they can come out of this crisis with ease. He also said that up to the lockdown period, there will be no damages on EPRs and other filings as they are trying to support the industry in the best way. We are in difficulty and we have to be together to get out of it. Mr . Pradeep Multani, Vice President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in his welcome address mentioned that in the recent announcement of Financial Stimulus Package announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi of Rs 20 lakh Crore (Equivalent to 10% of GDP) PHD Chamber welcomes the decision to reduce EPF contribution for business and workers to 10% from existing 12% for all establishments covered by EPFO for next 3 months, this will help in providing much needed additional liquidity to employers and employees amid an extremely difficult time of COVID-19. Giving an insight into the construction industry and concerns regarding Provident Fund for Construction Workers, he also gave insights about Social Security Code Bill, 2019, and other government initiatives done for the industry in regards to PF issues faced. Mr. Ashish Wig, Chair, PHD Infrastructure Development Committee, PHD Chamber and gave an industrial outlook. He shared the issues and challenges faced by the industry while also suggesting relief measures and steps to ensure the smooth working of the industry in the country. Mr. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, PHD Chamber, delivered a formal vote of thanks to all the esteemed delegates and participants. He also said that PHD Chamber will support the government by providing representations on the issues and difficulties being faced by our members and industry partners. The other esteemed speakers who deliberated and gave their key viewpoints in the webinar session were Mr. Sunil Barthwal, IAS, CPFC, Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees’ Provident Fund Organization; Mr. Pankaj Raman, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organization; Mr. V Ranganath, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organization; Mr. Uday Baxi, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organization; Mr. J P Chauhan, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organization; Mr. Nilendu Mishra, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organization; Mr. Shobhit Shrivastava, Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organization. The webinar was moderated by Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, Principal Director, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was attended by and over 300 members of PHD Chamber which included industry players and other industry stalwarts from all across the world. Ends. Media Division PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry