The Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) is a major initiative aimed at generating employment opportunities and providing financial security to young people, while also incentivising employers to create new jobs, said Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II, Ballari, K.V. Praveen.

Addressing a press conference at the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) regional office in Ballari on Wednesday, Mr. Praveen said that the scheme is designed to stimulate employment generation and strengthen the country’s economy by encouraging recruitment and retention of workers.

“The scheme seeks to create 3.5 crore new jobs across the country and promote sustained employment among newly recruited workers. The programme, which came into effect on August 1, 2025, will remain operational until July 31, 2027. The Central government has earmarked ₹1 lakh crore for its implementation nationwide,” he said.

Mr. Praveen said that all private establishments covered under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), including companies in the services and manufacturing sectors, security agencies and manpower agencies, are eligible to avail themselves of the benefits under the scheme.

“The benefits are applicable only to new entrants to the workforce and not to existing employees. To qualify, a newly recruited employee must continue working with the same organisation for a minimum of six months,” he said.

Mr. Praveen said that an exclusive online portal has been launched for the scheme enabling employers to complete one-time registration. “Employees need not submit separate applications. Once a company links a new employee’s EPF account with Aadhaar, the system automatically verifies eligibility and facilitates the transfer of benefits to the beneficiary’s bank account,” he said.

Explaining the incentives, Mr. Praveen said that employers will receive financial assistance from the government based on the salaries of newly recruited workers. Service-sector establishments will be eligible for incentives for 24 months, while manufacturing units will receive support for 48 months to encourage job creation in the sector.

“New employees joining the workforce for the first time and obtaining an EPF account will be eligible for a one-time incentive of up to ₹15,000, payable in two instalments. As many as 1,374 newly recruited workers in the Ballari region have so far become eligible to receive direct financial assistance under the scheme. In addition, 248 employer establishments in the region have benefited from incentives provided under the employer component of the programme,” he said.

He expressed the confidence that the scheme will provide significant financial support to both employers and employees while encouraging large-scale employment generation in the region.

EPFO Enforcement Officer Abdul Hafeez, Supervisor Jadesh and other officials were present.