Archive · 6 Aug 2026
EPFO officers urge expert hiring as claim delays mount
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, or EPFO, is a big government office in India that helps workers save money for their future, like a giant piggy bank.
A group of its workers, called the EPF Officers' Association, wrote a letter to the Labour Minister to say things are not going well.
They said the office does not have enough computer experts to run its modern technology systems.
The last time EPFO hired IT workers was in 2004, and even the top technology chief position has been empty for three years.
The office built a new computer system called CITES to pay people their savings faster, in just two or three days.
But after the system was partly switched on in July 2026, hundreds of thousands of claims got stuck for more than 20 days.
Big-city offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Gurugram are extra busy, but they have the same number of workers as they did back in 2008.
The workers also think the pension plan needs changes because lower interest rates make it hard to keep going.
Many members are complaining, and so far no one from the office or the government has replied to the letter.
The EPF Officers' Association has written to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking policy intervention to fix EPFO's claim delays and staffing gaps.
EPFO has made no direct recruitment to its Information Services Division since 2004 and has been without a full-time chief technology officer for the past three years.
Lakhs of auto-processed provident fund claims have remained pending for more than 20 days despite the rollout of the new Centralised IT Enabled System (CITES).
CITES, awarded to C-DAC in January 2023 with a 10-month timeline, was only partially implemented in July 2026.
The association also urged reforms to the Employees' Pension Scheme, citing declining interest rates, and questioned the appointment of outsiders to senior EPFO leadership roles.
- Who
- The EPF Officers' Association, representing officers of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, writing to Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
- What
- A letter flagging delays in provident fund claim settlements, a shortage of IT staff, outdated staffing norms, and calls for pension scheme reforms at EPFO.
- When
- The letter is dated August 3, 2026; CITES has been partially implemented since July 2026.
- Where
- India, with severe pressure reported at EPFO metro offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Gurugram.
- Why
- Because lakhs of auto claims have remained pending for over 20 days under the new CITES system, and EPFO lacks adequate IT recruitment and modern staffing norms.
- Organisation
- Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
- Letter recipient
- Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya
- Letter date
- August 3, 2026
- Last ISD direct recruitment
- 2004 (22 years ago)
- CTO vacancy
- Position unfilled for 3 years
- CITES contract
- Awarded to C-DAC in January 2023 with a 10-month timeline
- CITES rollout
- Partial implementation since July 2026
- Pending claims
- Lakhs of auto claims pending for more than 20 days
