150 Tea Estates of Assam yet to pay Provident Fund premiums

GUWAHATI: Around 150 tea estates in the state have not deposited the provident fund (PF) premiums of their workers, amounting to around Rs 200 crore.

According to Assam Tea Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (ATEPFO) sources, around 50 percent of the PF defaulting tea estates are owned by big tea companies. Though the number of PF defaulting tea estates has come down due to relentless pressure from the ATEPFO, still many gardens have not cleared their PF premiums.

According to sources, the ATEPFO will initiate legal action against the PF defaulting tea estates if they fail to deposit their (employers’) constitution within a stipulated time. According to the ATEPFO, “The Act provides for penal action against employers in the event of failure to deposit Provident Fund contributions within 30 days of collection. In addition to payment of statutory interest at the rate of 15 percent of the amount in default, the defaulting employers are also liable to pay damages up to a maximum of 100 percent, attachment of movable and immovable property, and criminal prosecution entailing a fine and imprisonment”.

In 2020–21, the ATEPFO lodged FIRs against 68 PF-defaulting tea gardens. The ATEPFO has already seized and auctioned several PF-defaulting tea gardens.

According to sources, the ATEPFO has set up an inspection and enforcement cell in its head office to ensure proper implementation of provident funds and other schemes. Inspecting officers carry out inspections of the tea estates and factories and submit their reports to the cell for analysis to find out irregularities and discrepancies before taking the necessary measures. In order to ensure prompt redressal of grievances received from beneficiaries regarding PF and other matters, the ATEPFO has set up a public grievances redressal cell.

The employers deduct 15 percent from the wages of the employees, and they contribute an equal amount for deposit in the PF account of the employee. The gross PF collected in 1984–85 was Rs 17.52 crore, which increased to Rs 634 crore in 2020–21.

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