New Delhi: Nearly four years after grounding of the Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines (KFA), the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is still trying to find out whether the company has done any "significant" violation of provident fund rules by not depositing workers' dues. The EPFO will launch a probe to verify the balance sheet and the books of accounts of the grounded airline to verify whether the company deposited the accounts in line with rules, said senior officials in EPFO's Delhi and Mumbai offices.
"Until 2012-13, the monthly deposits from the company would be in the range of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore, but gradually it dropped. We have to see whether they were depositing the correct amount or not and whether all employees were covered," said a senior EPFO official in Mumbai. "The process of verification will begin soon. We have to ascertain whether they covered all employees under the rules and all of them were accounted for," said the official.
For years, KFA employees have complained of their statutory dues not being deposited with EPFO, which has not bothered to look into the issue. Officials, however, did not explain why the agency has so far not acted on these complaints. A scrutiny of the KFA payment record with EPFO takes a curious turn. In 2015, the company paid EPF contribution of two employees.
But in August, September and October 2015, the company deposited the EPF contribution for just one employee. On March 3, 2016, the defunct airlines made a payment of Rs 700 but the column on number of workers shows "not available".
12/03/16 Surojit Gupta & Mahendra Singh/Times of India
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"Until 2012-13, the monthly deposits from the company would be in the range of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore, but gradually it dropped. We have to see whether they were depositing the correct amount or not and whether all employees were covered," said a senior EPFO official in Mumbai. "The process of verification will begin soon. We have to ascertain whether they covered all employees under the rules and all of them were accounted for," said the official.
For years, KFA employees have complained of their statutory dues not being deposited with EPFO, which has not bothered to look into the issue. Officials, however, did not explain why the agency has so far not acted on these complaints. A scrutiny of the KFA payment record with EPFO takes a curious turn. In 2015, the company paid EPF contribution of two employees.
But in August, September and October 2015, the company deposited the EPF contribution for just one employee. On March 3, 2016, the defunct airlines made a payment of Rs 700 but the column on number of workers shows "not available".
12/03/16 Surojit Gupta & Mahendra Singh/Times of India
