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News Topical, Digital Desk : The country's top court has directed the central government and the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) to take a decision on revising the pay ceiling within four months. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court claiming that the freeze in pay ceilings has left many employees outside the EPFO's scope.

The petition was filed by Dr. Naveen Prakash Nautiyal. A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar heard the petition. The court granted the petitioner two weeks to submit a detailed representation along with a copy of the order.

The minimum salary is fixed at 15,000 per month

The central government has set the minimum wage at ₹15,000 per month. This limit has remained unchanged since September 2014. The petition argues that the ₹15,000 per month wage ceiling is arbitrary and illogical. The petitioner states that it has no connection to inflation, minimum wages, or increases in per capita income.

The petition states that even employees earning a little more than ₹15,000 per month are excluded from EPF coverage. The petitioner argued that the Public Accounts Committee of the 6th Lok Sabha, in its 34th report, had stated that if lower-level employees are not included in welfare schemes, the very purpose of social security schemes is defeated.

The committee also recommended periodic revisions to the pay ceilings every three to five years to offset losses due to inflation. These recommendations were approved by the Central Board of Trustees in July 2022, but the central government has not yet taken a decision on them.

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