EPFO strengthens last-mile services in Ladakh, brings claim settlement to Leh

Excelsior Correspondent

LEH, Aug 13: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has commenced settlement of provident fund claims pertaining to Regional Office Ladakh from Leh itself, marking a significant step towards decentralizing and improving access to social security services in the Union Territory.

As part of the initiative, 42 claims have been processed locally at Leh involving an amount of Rs 14,32,574, providing subscribers an alternative to having their claims processed from Jammu. Since the establishment of EPFO offices in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, account-related work pertaining to Ladakh was being handled by Regional Office Jammu. Consequently, subscribers from Ladakh were required to depend on the Jammu office, located more than 650 km away, for processing of their claims.

The commencement of claim settlement at Leh is expected to reduce this dependence and facilitate faster and more accessible delivery of EPFO services.

Ajay K Mehra, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Delhi, Uttarakhand, J&K and Ladakh, said the initiative would enhance efficiency and improve accessibility of EPFO services for members and subscribers in Ladakh. He said it would facilitate ease of living and ease of doing business for more than 7,800 subscribers and 2,700 establishments registered with EPFO.

He added that the initiative would expand EPFO’s footprint in the Union Territory and support implementation of Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, Vishwas Scheme and Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2026 in the region.

Mehra said EPFO was undertaking systematic and phased upgradation of Regional Office Ladakh, including steps for acquisition of a new office building with member-centric facilities and an environment-controlled waiting area.

He also acknowledged the efforts of Sumeet Singh, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-I, Regional Office Jammu, and officers and staff of J&K and Ladakh in establishing the infrastructure and operational arrangements for local claim settlement.