New Delhi, Oct 13 (NationPress) The Ministry of Labour and Employment announced the launch of the ‘Employees’ Enrolment Campaign, 2025 (EEC 2025) on Monday. This ambitious initiative aims to significantly boost the number of workers covered by organized social security through the EPFO.

The campaign is set to run from November 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026. It follows a successful enrollment effort conducted in 2017, which targeted eligible employees who were overlooked from 2009 to 2016, as per an official announcement.

The primary goal of the campaign is to motivate both existing employers and newcomers under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, to voluntarily register and enroll eligible employees.

Employers can include all current employees who joined the company from July 1, 2017, to October 31, 2025, and are still employed and alive at the time of declaration, as they may not have been enrolled in the EPF scheme previously.

In a significant relief measure, the employee's share of the provident fund contribution for the prior period (from July 1, 2017, to October 31, 2025) will be waived, provided it was not deducted from their wages. Employers are only required to remit their own contribution for this timeframe.

Employers taking advantage of this initiative will incur a nominal penal charge of just Rs 100 as a one-time payment, a drastic reduction from the usual penalties for non-compliance.

The government anticipates that this campaign will enhance enrollment in social security for employees. It is also designed to assist employers in regularizing their historical records with minimal financial and legal obligations, thereby facilitating smoother business operations.

All establishments can participate in this scheme, regardless of whether they are currently under scrutiny for compliance issues under section 7A of the Act or related provisions.

The EPFO will not initiate any compliance actions against employers who benefit from the EEC for employees who have already departed the establishment at the time of declaration.

Employers who register under the EEC 2025 or declare additional employees will be eligible for benefits under the Pradhan Mantri-Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana, subject to specific terms and conditions.

Employers must submit declarations through an online portal provided by EPFO, indicating enrolled employee details and linking them to the Electronic Challan-cum-Return (Temporary Return Reference Number) for contribution payments, along with the nominal penal damages of Rs 100.