Those who want to avail of benefits ofthe Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme should note that the government has made it mandatory for all employees to activate their Universal Account Number (UAN) and seed their Aadhaar details to their bank accounts. The administration of the ELI scheme is overseen by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), and the exercise has to be completed by November 30, 2024.
It is to be noted that during the Union Budget 2024, FM Nirmala Sitharaman announced that there are three types of ELI schemes (A, B, and C). Last week in a notification, the Ministry of Labour and Employment stated that the benefits under ELI scheme will be disbursed to the eligible employees after they ensure UAN activation and Aadhaar linkage by November 30, 2024.
“Since the benefits under Employment-Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, will be disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to eligible employees, Employers are urged to ensure UAN activation and Aadhaar seeding in Bank Account by 30th November 2024 in respect of all their employees who have joined in the current financial year, starting with the latest joinees,” the Ministry of Labour and Employment said in an EPFO in a circular dated November 22, 2024.
UAN activation
EPFO’s circular highlighted the importance of activating the UAN and linking Aadhaar to bank accounts to access benefits under the ELI scheme. Every EPFO subscriber must have a UAN linked to Aadhaar for seamless access to various services via the Member Portal.
“Every subscriber of EPFO is required to have an Aadhaar-linked Universal Account Number (UAN), which needs to be activated by creating login on the Member Portal, to avail of a number of facilities through a single window. Such facilities include the ability to view and download PF passbooks; submit online claims for withdrawals, advances, or transfers; update personal details and track the status of claims in real time. The activation process is straightforward and can be completed using an Aadhaar-based OTP,” EPFO said in the circular.
According to the circular issued by EPFO, employees who qualify for the ELI scheme must link their Aadhaar cards to their bank accounts to receive the scheme’s benefits.
EPFO emphasized that in order to access benefits from any Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme, it is essential for the beneficiary’s bank account number to be linked with an Aadhaar Card to ensure that benefits are directly credited to the beneficiary’s account.
Steps to activate UAN for ELI schemes
Based on the EPFO circular, one can follow the step-by-step instructions to activate their UAN on the EPFO portal:
> Go to the EPFO member portal: EPFO Member Portal
> Click on the ‘Activate UAN’ link located under the ‘Important Links’ section.
> A new webpage will open, where you will be required to enter your UAN number, Aadhaar Card number, date of birth, and Aadhaar-linked mobile number. It is important for employees to have their mobile number linked to Aadhar in order to access the full range of EPFO’s digital services. Once you have entered the details, you must agree to Aadhaar OTP verification.
> Please click on ‘Get Authorisation PIN’ to generate an OTP on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Enter the OTP to finalise the activation process. Upon successful activation, a password will be sent to your registered mobile number.