Budget session: 1.2 cr new members enrolled with EPFO in 2021, says PM Modi 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that 1.2 crore new members have enrolled with Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) during 2021. These included 65 lakh members belonging to the 18-25 age bracket. 

PM Modi was responding to the President’s Motion of Thanks in the Upper House.   He also said that besides a spike in EPFO enrolments, India’s hiring trends have also improved in comparison to the first COVID-19 wave. He cited the latest NASSCOM report and said that India has created more than 27 lakh jobs in the Information Technology (IT) sector.   He also praised the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agriculture sectors for providing employment. He added that there was bumper productivity and the government made record purchases. The Prime Minister further said that farmers received higher MSP and received that money directly into their bank accounts.   “MSME sector provides highest employment. We similarly have agriculture sector. We ensured that no hindrance comes before them. As a result, there was bumper productivity and government made record purchases. Farmers received higher MSP. They received money directly into bank accounts,” PM Modi said in the upper house on Tuesday.   The Prime Minister also underscored that the MSME sector was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package announced by the government. He added that after the first lockdown, it was decided that farmers will be kept exempt from the lockdown after a lot of discussions. The Prime Minister further said even during pandemic, farmers in India posted “bumper productivity”.   Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also commented on India’s economic growth and inflation trends in the Rajya Sabha. “The US is facing the worst inflation in 40 years. The UK is facing worst inflation in 30 years. Similar is the condition in many European nations. In India, we have kept it between 4 per cent and 5 per cent (CPI). During UPA’s regime, inflation touched double digits. We are the only large nation that has high growth and low inflation.”   Also read: Request Owaisi to accept Z category security: Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha

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