EPFO to accept online submission of Aadhaar as birth proof amid COVID-19 crisis

In a relief to pensioners amid the novel Coronavirus outbreak, retirement fund body EPFO on Sunday said it will accept online submission of Aadhaar Card as a valid proof to rectify their date of birth to ensure that the account is KYC compliant. 

A labour ministry statement said, "In a move to extend the availability and reach of online services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, EPFO has issued revised instructions to its field offices to facilitate PF members to rectify their date of birth in EPFO records, thus ensuring that their UAN is KYC compliant."

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The statement said the date of birth recorded in Aadhaar will now be accepted as valid proof of date of birth for the purpose of rectification, provided that the difference in the two dates is less than 3 years. The Provident Fund subscribers can submit the correction requests online.

The move will enable EPFO to validate the date of birth of members online with UIDAI instantaneously, thus authenticating and reducing the processing time of change requests, the statement added.

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Expedite disposal of online requests

In accordance with this latest directive, EPFO has instructed field offices to expedite disposal of online requests, enabling PF members in financial distress, to apply online for availing non-refundable advance from their PF accumulations to tide over the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Coronavirus crisis

The nationwide Coronavirus lockdown kicked in from March 25 and will run through April 14. The aim is to curb the spread of the highly communicable and deadly virus that has so far infected 3,374 people and killed 77.

Image Credits: PTI

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