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The National Executive Committee of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), that met in Patna from October 4 to 6, has demanded a thorough probe into the manipulation of figures in Employees Provident Fund Organisation's(EPFO) accounts. ?The EPFO in its annual report for the year 2002-2003 has shown an increase of 1.20 crore (about 43 per cent) in EPF subscribers, but it has not shown a satisfactory increase in the number of pension members, Provident Fund contribution and administrative charges. It is a fact that each new PF subscriber is automatically entitled to pension. The increase in PF subscribers has been shown as 1, 20, 80,332 but the increase in pension members has been just 37,37,691. The contribution received in the year 2001-2002 was Rs 11,188,26 crores; it stood at Rs 11,388,14 crores in 2002-2003. Likewise while the administrative charges during 2001-2002 totalled Rs 498.86 crores, it increased to Rs 531.73 crores during the 2002-2003,? said the BMS in a resolution passed at the meet. The executive also condemned the government'sinterference in EPF Board matters.
Terming the acceptance of WTO resolution of Geneva 2004 as surrender, the BMS appealed to the nationalist people of the country to wake up and understand the world process that was invading India'ssovereignty.
The meeting observed that the direction of the UPA government was clearly anti-labour. ?The government which pledged to function on the basis of CMP violated it on the very next day by announcing privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports and by allowing 49 per cent FDI in air services. The telecom and insurance sectors were also opened for FDI up to 74 and 49 per cent respectively. This was followed by reducing PF interest by 1 per cent, price hike, introduction of service tax, ignoring unorganised sector and social security schemes and dismantling tripartite bodies are steps that reveal the anti-labour face of the UPA government,? said the BMS in a statement.
Speaking at the meeting, BMS general secretary, Uday Patwardhan said that the government was not only anti-labour but was behaving vindictively. ?The removal of Shri K.J. Thakkar, BMS vice president, from the chairmanship of Central Board of Workers Education and withdrawal of recognition to Akhil Bharatiya PF Employees Federation, an affiliate of BMS, prove that the BMS is being targeted by the government,? said Shri Patwardhan. Besides 23 state general secretaries and 38 industrial federations, including the central office-bearers, BMS president, Shri Hasubhai Dave, also attended the meet.
