With an eye on ease of living, the government is in the process of unveiling a centralised digital platform of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which will allow subscribers, for the first time, to simply withdraw their money from a nearby ATM or via UPI.Subscribers will now be able to withdraw up to 75 per cent of their total provident fund (PF) balance against the current 50 per cent threshold.Top government sources said the EPFO portal, under the Centralised IT-Enabled Services project, would be up and running in a week after the last-minute glitches are resolved. The project is an initiative to modernise EPFO’s service delivery through automation and rule-based processing.”It is designed to enhance member convenience, improve EPFO’s operational efficiency and thereby deliver transparent and seamless citizen-centric services,” an official of the Ministry of Labour and Employment said.In a departure from the past, subscribers can now access their membership details, provident fund balances, claim status, pensionable service records and benefits availed through the unified portal. Earlier, this information remained scattered across regional offices. For instance, someone working in Chennai can check the status of his PF claims or withdraw the money while sitting in Delhi or any other place.Another major feature is the increase in the automated claim settlement. A substantial proportion of claims for advances up to Rs 5 lakh, which are fully KYC-linked and validated, will be processed through an auto-settlement mechanism, as against the earlier limit of Rs 1 lakh.The EPFO has also simplified partial withdrawal rules.”The earlier 13 complex partial withdrawal rules have been streamlined into three simplified categories — essential needs (such as illness, education and marriage), housing needs and special circumstances — making the withdrawal process simpler and easier for members to understand,” a ministry official said.Under the revised system, interest in final PF settlements will now be calculated up to the date of payment authorisation. Earlier, the interest was calculated only up to the last day of the previous month. This ensures that members receive the benefit of additional interest for the intervening period.Claims will also undergo automated pre-validation prior to processing at EPFO offices. Any deficiencies or discrepancies will be identified upfront and appropriate guidance will be provided to members, thereby significantly reducing claim rejections and improving first-time acceptance rates.Subscribers will also be able to know what is the amount they are eligible to withdraw from their PF account and make informed choices. “Earlier, they did not have clear visibility of the amount they were eligible to withdraw under different withdrawal categories. As a result, claims exceeding the permissible limit were often rejected,” sources said.Rs 1.44 lakh crore interest to be credited by July 15The EPFO will credit over Rs 1.44 lakh crore annual interest at the rate of 8.25 per cent to 34 crore subscriber accounts by July 15. The announcement comes after the implementation of the Centralised IT-Enabled Services project of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Earlier, it took until October-November for the interest to be credited to the accounts.