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The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has sharpened its focus on cutting litigation and speeding up grievance redressal, while also preparing to meet members on WhatsApp for round-the-clock support, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has said.
On the litigation front, EPFO has been running "mission mode" disposal drives to clear cases stuck in various legal forums. A dedicated drive targeted consumer court cases under its "Nidhi Aapke Nikat" programme. "Cases were identified in advance and taken up for expedited resolution," the organisation said. The push brought down pending consumer cases from 4,936 on April 1, 2024 to 2,646 by March 31, 2026. The overall legal backlog is also shrinking. "The overall pendency of litigation cases has reduced from 31,036 cases as on April 1, 2025 to 27,639 cases as on April 1, 2026, reflecting a reduction of 3,397 cases," EPFO noted. It added that this "marks the lowest ever level of litigation pendency in EPFO," a release said. Special attention went to the older disputes. "The number of cases pending for more than 10 years declined from 8,539 to 4,665, registering a reduction of 3,874 cases, or nearly 45.4 percent." Earlier this year, EPFO ran a nationwide Special Campaign during February-March 2026 for cases before Central Government Industrial Tribunals. The drive focused on employer disputes over interest on delayed remittances. "This initiative resulted in disposal of 353 appeals, while efforts are continuing for expeditious disposal of another 650 related cases," EPFO said. Alongside clearing legal pendency, EPFO is moving to simplify how members interact with it. The organisation is planning to use WhatsApp to expand outreach and streamline services. "The objective of enhancing outreach and streamlining member services" is driving the shift, EPFO said. The choice of platform is deliberate. "Most mobile users already use WhatsApp for their communication," it noted, adding that the interface is familiar and easy to use. Members can start by typing 'Hello' to EPFO's verified number, which carries a green tick mark "for safety and assurance." All communication will be in "local/vernacular language enabling greater comfort for Member to engage with EPFO in their language," and automated systems will handle queries "round the clock." The WhatsApp channel will target two key areas. First, members eligible under PMVBRY who have gaps such as non-completion of Aadhaar authentication or non-enablement of DBT will "receive targeted support for resolution on WhatsApp itself." Second, it will provide "guided facilitation to enable quick and seamless access to essential EPFO services such as viewing PF Balances, Last 5 transactions, claim status etc." EPFO said WhatsApp "serves as a widely adopted digital communication platform with high penetration across India" and "enables real-time, interactive communication between EPFO and members." The move is expected to cut dependency on physical visits and call centres while offering "a mobile-first channel for seamless member facilitation." Together, the drop in litigation and the push toward WhatsApp support signal EPFO's effort to make dispute resolution faster and day-to-day services simpler for its crores of members.(ANI)
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