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WAGE CEILING FOR PF COVERAGE TO BE RAISED TO RS.15,000 per monthAlso monthly pension Rs.1000 per month
The Finance Ministry has approved a proposal for providing a minimum monthly pension of Rs. 1,000 to workers in the organised sector, a move which would benefit 27 lakh pensioners immediately.
The ministry has also approved a proposal for raising the basic wage ceiling under the Employees Provident Fund Scheme to Rs. 15,000, from existing Rs. 6,500 per month .
At present, there are about 44 lakh pensioners. Of this 27 lakh, including 5 lakh widows,get less than Rs. 1,000 a month.
The government will provide additional contribution of Rs. 1,217 crore to ensure the minimum monthly pension of Rs. 1,000 starting 2014-15. Pensioners are, therefore, expected to get benefit with effect from April 1 this year.
Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes, however, is yet to decide on whether the move requires the Cabinet approval or not.
The Labour Ministry's proposal on giving a minimum monthly pension of Rs. 1,000 under the EPS-95, run by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), has been pending for a long time.
Earlier, the Labour Ministry had proposed that government should increase contribution on EPS-95 from 1.16 per cent of basic wage to 1.79 per cent to ensure minimum pension.
However, it did not find favour with the Finance Ministry as this would have resulted in a permanent increase in its contribution.
The Labour Ministry in its revised proposal has asked the Finance Ministry to provide for around Rs. 1,217 crore additional amount every year, and indicated that this amount can come down over a period of time with more members subscribing to EPS-95.