Minister for Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya (file photo) | Photo Credit: -

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is ready to roll out a major reform allowing 7.48 crore subscribers of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to withdraw up to 75 per cent of their provident fund (PF) balance through a UPI interface directly into their linked bank accounts.

Top sources said the Ministry is looking for a convenient time to announce this EPFO 3.0 reform to upgrade the ease of living facility, cut down time consuming, complex paperwork and expedite claims processing.

New architecture

Of the 29 crore registered PF accounts, 7.48 crore accounts are active and the remaining dormant ones. The next level of digital reform will offer a completely new architecture, with core banking solutions at the backend of the centralised system. It will also give members a window to access their PF service records, similar to the facility banks provide, which will also help in resolving issues from any EPFO office across the country.

The EPFO has undertaken mission-mode initiatives to reduce PF-related litigation and ensure the timely resolution of pending cases across legal forums, Minister for Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

To achieve that, Mandaviya said, the EPFO launched a dedicated mission-mode drive for the disposal of cases pending before consumer courts.

Under the ‘Nidhi Aapke Nikat’ (NAN) programme, cases were identified in advance and taken up for expedited resolution.

As a result, the number of pending consumer cases declined significantly to 2,646 as of March 31, 2026, from 4,936 as of April 1, 2024, he said.

The overall pendency of litigation cases, too, has come down from 31,036 cases as on April 1, 2025, to 27,639 cases as on April 1, 2026, reflecting a reduction of a total of 3,397 cases, noted the Minister, adding that this marks the lowest ever level of litigation pendency in EPFO.

Long pending cases

“Special emphasis was also placed on reducing long-pending cases. Consequently, the number of cases pending for more than 10 years has declined from 8,539 to 4,665, registering a reduction of 3,874 cases, or nearly 45.4 per cent,” the Minister added

At the same time, the EPFO conducted a nationwide special campaign during February-March 2026 for cases pending before Central Government Industrial Tribunals (CGITs). The campaign focused on disputes relating to interest payable by employers on delayed remittances under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.

This initiative resulted in the disposal of 353 appeals, while efforts are continuing for the expeditious disposal of another 650 related cases. Mandaviya also said the EPFO is planning to use the WhatsApp platform with the objective of enhancing outreach and streamlining member services.

Published on May 19, 2026