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Title: Need for bifurcating of Sub-regional Provident Fund Office at Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu and opening of Sub-regional Provident Fund Office at Nagarcoil.
SHRI A.V. BELLARMIN (NAGERCOIL): Thank you, Sir. There is fairly as much as 1.35 lakhs of employees and workers covered under the Employees Provident Fund Act. They are working in nearby 2000 establishments in Kanyakumari District. Moreover, lakhs of workers are there in unorganized sector and it is learnt that the Government of India is contemplating to bring them also in the purview of EPF Act. These workers, at present, have to solely depend upon the Sub-Regional provident fund office at Tirunelveli, some 150 kilometres away from Nagercoil for their PF needs. This involves unnecessary expenditure and loss of time for the lowly paid workers. The EPF contributors will be much obliged if a Sub-Regional Office of Provident Fund is opened at Nagercoil, the Headquarters of Kanyakumari District. It will be much more economical for the Government also, as it is not a new establishment. It is only a bifurcation of the existing Sub-Regional Office at Tiruneveli[mks69] .