Overview
- Labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on May 19 that EPFO has completed testing of a UPI-based withdrawal gateway that will let members transfer eligible EPF amounts straight into their bank accounts.
- EPFO has raised its auto-settlement cap from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh and already processes eligible advance claims electronically within three days without manual intervention.
- A verified, AI-driven WhatsApp chatbot that will give 24/7, local-language access to PF balances, the last five transactions and claim status is due to roll out within about a month.
- Rollout of UPI withdrawals and broader automation for final withdrawals and account transfers depends on a central IT migration and completion of API work with NPCI, SBI, UIDAI and C‑DAC so some members may face delays due to software or authentication gaps.
- Focused disposal drives and upgraded portals have cut EPFO litigation to a record low of 27,639 cases and halved decade-old disputes, and the digital push is expected to reduce call-centre load and speed urgent payouts for over seven crore members.