Covid-19: Govt to pay employer, employee's PF contribution for 3 months
New Delhi: The government will pay the employee provident fund (EPF) contribution both of the employer and the employee (12 per cent each) for the next three months, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.
The move will benefit over 4.8 crore employees in the organised sector.
The government has also announced a Rs 1.70 lakh crore economic package for host of beneficiaries in the wake of Covid-19 spread that has crippled economic activity and wages across sectors.
Sitharaman said the PF contribution decision has been taken to ensure that employees' EPF continuity is not lost.
This will be applicable to all those establishments having employed up to 100 employees and about 90 per cent of which earn Rs 15,000 per month, she added.
The government will also amend the regulations for the scheme to allow employees draw up to 75 per cent of their non-refundable advance or up to three months of wages, whichever is lower.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two forest officials in ACB net for taking Rs 3.5 lakh bribe in Telangana
Hyderabad (PTI): Two forest officials were caught red-handed on Thursday for allegedly taking Rs 3.5 lakh bribe in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, the Telangana ACB said.
S Sujatha, Forest Divisional Officer, Bhadrachalam and B Krishna, Deputy Range Officer of Tegada, were caught by the ACB while they demanded and accepted an illegal gratification of Rs 3.5 lakh from a complainant at the Forest Divisional office, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said in a release.
The bribe was demanded "for not registering cases against the complainant for allegedly causing damage to forest trees, while laying 2 km BT road from Pusuguppa village, Charla mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district to the Chattisgarh broder which was completed in 2025, and also not to disturb the complainant in his present and future works," it said.
The accused officers had initially demanded Rs 10 lakh bribe, and subsequently, on the request of the complainant, they reduced the bribe demand to Rs 3.5 lakh, the ACB alleged, adding that the tainted currency was recovered from the accused.
The accused officers performed their duties "improperly and dishonestly" to obtain undue advantage, the ACB said. The case is under investigation.
_vb_80.png)