Lucknow: BJP legislator Vijay Bahadur Pathak on Tuesday raised the issue of alleged irregularities in the deposit of Employees Provident Fund contributions of outsourced workers in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Raising the matter under Rule 115, he demanded that the government ensure that the EPF amount deducted from the salaries of outsourced employees is deposited into their accounts without delay.
Pathak said the state government has shown sensitivity towards outsourced workers and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has decided to set up an Outsourcing Services Corporation, a move that has been widely welcomed. He said exploitation of outsourced workers had become common during previous governments.
However, Pathak pointed out that reports from several parts of the state suggest that although EPF is being regularly deducted from the salaries of outsourced employees, the amount is not being credited to their provident fund accounts. He said this has led to resentment among workers and complaints are being made to department heads. In many cases, officials shift the responsibility to contractors and service provider companies, leaving the problem unresolved.
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The BJP legislator said such complaints have emerged from several municipal corporations, including Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi. He also referred to written complaints by outsourced staff of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, alleging collusion between agencies, contractors and civic officials in misappropriating EPF funds.
Calling the matter one of urgent public importance, Pathak urged the government to put in place a foolproof mechanism to ensure that EPF deductions made from the wages of outsourced employees are deposited in their accounts on time and that accountability is fixed for any violations.
