Employees'' Enrolment Campaign 2025: Social Security

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Monday announced the rollout of 'Employees' Enrolment Campaign, 2025' (EEC 2025), an initiative to bring a large number of workers under the ambit of organised social security through the retirement fund body EPFO.

The scheme shall be operational from November 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026, according to a labour ministry statement.

This scheme is a continued effort of the ministry, after a similar successful enrolment campaign in 2017 for the enrolment of left-out eligible employees from 2009 to 2016.

This campaign is intended to encourage employers, both those already registered and those newly falling under the Employees' Provident Funds (EPFs) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, to voluntarily declare and enroll eligible employees.

Employers can enroll all existing employees who joined the establishment between July 1, 2017, and October 31, 2025, and who are alive and employed on the date of the declaration, but were not enrolled in the EPF scheme earlier for any reason whatsoever.

In a major relief, the employee's share of provident fund contribution for the past period (from July 1, 2017, to October 31, 2025) shall stand waived, provided it was not deducted from the employee's wages.

The employer is only required to pay their own share for such period.

The employers availing this scheme shall be liable to pay a nominal penal damage of Rs 100 only as a lump sum, a significant reduction from the standard penalties for non-compliance.

All establishments are eligible to participate in the proposed scheme irrespective of the fact whether any establishment is facing inquiries under section 7A of the Act or under paragraph 26B of the scheme or under paragraph 8 of the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995.

No suo motto compliance action shall be initiated by the EPFO against the employers who avail the benefits of the EEC in respect of such employees who have already left the establishment as on the date of declaration.

All the employers who register under the EEC,2025 or declare additional employees under the EEC, 2025, shall be eligible to avail the benefits of Pradhan Mantri-Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana, subject to certain terms and conditions under that scheme.

Employers are required to submit a declaration through the online facility provided by EPFO, indicating the details of enrolled employees and linking it to the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (Temporary Return Reference Number) through which payment of contributions has been made and pay a lump-sum penal damages of one hundred rupees.

The government expects this campaign to boost employee enrolment under social security scheme. It will also be crucial for employers to regularise past records with minimal financial or legal burden and facilitate ease of doing business. PTI KKS 1.0.