New Delhi: Earlier in September this year, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation had decided to split 8.5 per cent interest into two installments of 8.15 per cent and 0.35 per cent in its trustees meet headed by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar.
A highly placed source told PTI that the Labour Ministry has sent a proposal to the Finance Ministry to give concurrence to credit 8.5 per cent rate of interest on EPF for 2019-20 earlier this month. ”The Ministry of Finance ratification is likely in few days. Thus the interest is likely to be credited by this month only.” The source further said that earlier the Ministry of Finance had sought some clarifications on the rate of interest for the last fiscal, which were duly addressed.
In March this year, the EPFO’s apex decision making body Central Board of Trustees headed by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar had approved 8.5 per cent interest rate on EPF for 2019-20. In a virtual CBT meeting in September, the EPFO had decided to honour its commitment to provide 8.5 per cent rate of interest for the last fiscal. But the CBT had also decided to split the rate of interest into two installments of 8.15 per cent and 0.35 per cent in view of the pandemic.
The labour ministry had then explained that ”in view of exceptional circumstances arising out of COVID-19, the agenda regarding interest rate was reviewed by the CBT and it recommended the same rate of 8.50 per cent to the Central Government. ”It (8.5 per cent interest) would comprise of 8.15 per cent from debt income and balance 0.35 per cent (capital gain) from the sale of ETFs (exchange traded funds) subject to their redemption by 31st December, 2020,” it had said.
