JAMMU: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Regional Office Jammu, celebrated its 74th Foundation Day on Thursday, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening social security, improving service delivery and expanding provident fund and pension benefits to workers and pensioners.
Rajya Sabha MP Sat Paul Sharma attended the function as the chief guest. The event was attended by Sumeet Singh, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-I, Jammu; Naresh Kumar Yadav, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II; Sunil Kumar Toura, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-II, Srinagar; Tarun Singla, president of the Bari Brahmana Industries Association; Virender Jain, president of the Gangyal Industries Association; and Ashok Choudhary, president of BMS, besides EPFO officials and other stakeholders.
Addressing the gathering, Sat Paul Sharma appreciated EPFO’s role in safeguarding the social and financial security of employees and their families. He stressed the need for timely settlement of claims, efficient pension services and greater awareness among workers and employers about social security benefits. He also urged establishments to register promptly under the Vishwas Scheme to avail themselves of its benefits and penalty waivers.
Sumeet Singh highlighted the achievements of the Jammu regional office, stating that it had settled 80,946 claims involving ₹267.53 crore during the current financial year. The office had also provided pension-related services to 1,515 pensioners.
On the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY), Singh said that 2,564 of the 3,852 eligible establishments in Jammu had registered under the scheme. These registrations cover 9,874 eligible beneficiaries under Part A and 29,675 under Part B, according to the EPFO statement.
He further said that the Jammu office had issued 150 certificates under the Vishwas Scheme 2026 and was leading EPFO offices across India in its implementation. The scheme aims to promote trust-based compliance and improve ease of doing business for establishments.
Sunil Kumar Toura emphasised operational efficiency, prompt grievance redressal, transparency and accountability in EPFO services. He encouraged officials to make greater use of technology to improve services for members and pensioners.
Industry representatives highlighted the importance of coordination between EPFO and employers to resolve compliance-related issues and expand social security coverage. Tarun Singla and Virender Jain stressed constructive engagement with the industrial sector, while Ashok Choudhary underlined the need to ensure workers receive timely and hassle-free access to provident fund and pension benefits.
The regional office also felicitated staff members for their contributions to timely claim settlement. Pranav Gupta, Assistant Section Officer, and Shesh Kumar and Dipanshu Tyagi, Senior Social Security Assistants, were among those specially recognised.
The celebration concluded with a reaffirmation of EPFO Jammu’s commitment to transparent, efficient, technology-driven and citizen-centric social security services.
