He urged officials to focus on worker-centric innovations across domains in the run-up to EPFO's 75th year, adapting, building resilience, and evolving processes in tandem with changing times. (Image: @mansukhmandviya/X)Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday launched a set of user-friendly measures for subscribers of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), including a WhatsApp service that will allow them to access their PF balance and other details through a verified platform.The retirement fund body, which has over 34 crore total members and more than 8 crore active subscribers, also launched automatic settlement of inoperative EPF accounts with balances of up to Rs 1,000.Under the verified WhatsApp service, EPF subscribers will be able to access their PF balance, latest transactions and passbook, along with receiving personalised guidance and assistance on the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY).“This will make routine services accessible through a familiar mobile platform and reduce the need to visit EPFO offices,” the Ministry of Labour and Employment said in a statement.Automatic settlementAnother major step was the initiation of automatic settlement after prescribed identity and bank-account verification to transfer eligible dues to the rightful beneficiaries. Under this facility, subscribers having Aadhaar-verified inoperative EPF accounts with balances up to Rs 1,000 will not be required to file individual claims.This is expected to benefit around one lakh accounts involving Rs 5 crore. To put these figures in perspective, the EPFO manages a retirement corpus of nearly Rs 32 lakh crore.Speaking on the 74th Foundation Day of the EPFO, Mandaviya emphasised that social security must be driven by human sensitivity, adding that every concern and grievance of workers must be addressed with compassion and empathy, viewing each worker with the respect and dignity they deserve as nation-builders.Story continues below this adHe urged officials to focus on worker-centric innovations across domains in the run-up to EPFO’s 75th year, adapting, building resilience, and evolving processes in tandem with changing times.At the same event, Labour Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar said social protection and labour reforms must reach not just workers in the organised sector but also those in the unorganised sector, up to the last mile, noting that the EPFO sets an example of how to achieve this through institutionalised processes.Stating that reforms require constant evolution in the current digital age in order to effectively address the common man’s problems, Kumar called upon officials to adapt their mindset and perspective, prioritising accessibility and ease of living for beneficiaries.Aanchal Magazine is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express, serving as a leading voice on... Read More Tags:EPFO