New Delhi, April 21
The Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, today assured the Left leaders that the government was committed to restoring the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) interest rate to 9.5 per cent.
‘‘The Prime Minister made a categorical statement that the EPF interest rate would be increased to 9.5 per cent,’’ Mr Dasgupta, who led a six-member delegation, told reporters in the Parliament complex.
Mr Dasgupta, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said the CPI had expressed concern over the delay in issuing a notification to this effect.
‘‘We don’t have any doubt now following the Prime Minister’s categorical commitment,’’ the CPI leader said.
The Board of Trustees of the EPF had recommended bringing down the interest rate to 8.5 per cent from 9.5 per cent. The move had triggered strong protests from the Left parties and employees’ unions all over the
country.
