J&K eases provident fund rules; accountability fixed

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday eased out the mode of attaining provident fund by the retired government employees or by the nominees in death cases by implementing the General Provident Fund (Central Services) Rules, 1960.
However, accountability has also been fixed as any government servant found responsible in delaying clearance of GPF payment has to face action.
As per Government Order No 266 of FD of 2020 Dated: -28 - 09-2020, on implementation of General Provident Fund (Central Services) Rules, 1960 vide Government Order No.: 07-F of 2020 dated 08.01.2020 issued by Finance Department, guidelines are issued by the Financial Commissioner, Finance Department, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta.
As per the guidelines, a GPF (Central Services) Rules, 1960 shall not apply to the Government servants appointed on or after 01.01.2010.
The employees covered under NPS (appointed on or after 01.01.2010) who have been allowed to open GPF accounts and make contributions towards GPF on voluntarily basis vide SRO- 12 dated 11.01.2018 will not make a further contributions to GPF accounts, read the guidelines.
It further read that the balance at the credit of the GPF accounts of all such employees shall be refunded after the locking in period is over. Road map for payment of the balance in their favour shall be notified separately.
When a subscriber quits service/retires or dies during the service, amount standing to his/her credit in the fund shall become payable to him/her or his/her nominees. The interest thereon up to the end of the month preceding that in which the payment is made or up to the end of six months after the month in which such amount becomes payable, whichever of these periods be less shall be payable to the person to whom such amount is to be paid, it read.
The guidelines said that the payment of interest on the fund balance beyond the period of six months may be authorized by the Director General, funds organization up to the period of one year and by the Administrative Department up to any period with the consent of Finance Department.
In case of final refund cases of employees who have already retired from services/died, two or more than two years before 'date of implementation of General Provident Fund (Central Services) Rules, 1960 i.e. 31.10.2019, whose cases have remained unsettled, the interest shall be paid for upto a period of VA L) years as per erstwhile OFF rules.
In case of final refund cases of employees, who have already retired from service or died less than two years but more than six months before implementation of General Provident Fund (Central Service) Rules 1960.
In case of employees who have retired/died during service six months/less than six months before the implementation of General Provident. Fund (Central Service) Rules 1960 i.e., 31.10.2019, whose cases have not been settled till issuance of these guidelines, interest shall be paid up to the end of the month preceding that in which the payment is made or upto the end of six months after the month in which such amount became payable, whichever of these periods is less.
In case of final refund cases, where the employee has retired from the service/died during the service after implementation of General Provident Fund (Central Service) Rules. 1960 i.e. 31 102019, interest shall he paid up to the end of the month preceding that in which the payment is made or up to the end of six months after the month in which such amount becomes payable, whichever of these periods is less.
When the amount standing to the credit of the subscriber in the fund becomes payable (in case of superannuation), it shall be the duty of the Drawing and Disbursing Officer to make sure that the payment is made on the date of superannuation, read the guidelines further asserting that the authority for the amount payable to the subscriber is issued at least one month before the date of superannuation but payable on the day of superannuation.
In case the General Provident Fund balance is not paid on the date of retirement, the interest on UPI balance is required to be paid beyond the date of retirement also.
In all such cases, the Administrative Department will fix responsibility at all levels to take appropriate action against the government servant who are found responsible for delay in payment of

Updated On 9/29/2020 10:57:41 AM