The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 22nd February 2023

22/02/2023

Table of Contents

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

The Importance of Reading The Hindu Editorial: Reading The Hindu newspaper has several benefits, including improving reading skills, facilitating comprehension, staying informed of current events, enhancing essay writing, and more. For individuals aiming for a career in banking, reading editorials is crucial for vocabulary building. In this article, we will examine today’s editorials, provide practice questions, and highlight important vocabulary words.

Rush waiting.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has not acquitted itself well by issuing a circular on higher PF pension at the fag end of the four-month period the Supreme Court had allowed in its November 2022 judgment.

This time period was given to members of the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) of 1995 who were in service as on September 1, 2014 and whose employers had made PF contributions in excess of the statutory ceiling, which was ₹5,000 (up to May 31, 2001) and ₹6,500 (up to August 31, 2014)

But, the EPFO took its own time. The Court, using ‘discretionary powers’, under Article 142 of the Constitution, had granted these members the four months, which it called a “further chance,” as two opportunities had been provided in the 2014 amendment of the EPS.

The Court’s rationale was that it found uncertainty as regards the validity of the amendment (quashed by three High Courts), and that the authorities’ interpretation of the cut-off date had come in the way of eligible employees exercising the option within a maximum period of one year (as stipulated in the amended scheme).
Unfortunately,the latest circular is not comprehensive. Eligible employees would need additional circulars to be issued before they can make their decision.

And,all this needs to be done on or before March 3 —the Court’s deadline. A member’s expression of consent involves their willingness to allow the transfer of money in the member’s individual PF account, to the Pension Fund, which is a pooled fund.

Such a decision cannot be taken in a hurry as such a transfer would mean giving to a substantial portion of lifetime savings.
Besides, the number of prospective applicants is likely to be high, as the Court’s judgment made it clear that the amended pension scheme would apply to employees of exempted establishments too — as in the case of regular establishments.
Under such circumstances, a submission,online or o%ine, is inevitable, disrupting the normal workload of the PF authorities.
The circular has also not taken into account factors in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Practice Questions:

Why does the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) not acquitted itself?
Why cannot this decision be taken in hurry? What’s the problem behind it?