HT Digital,
Guwahati , 03 Nov: A new performance review by the Comptroller and Auditor General has raised serious concerns over how the Assam Tea Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has been running its social security system, revealing large gaps in coverage, delayed deposits and risky financial decisions. The report, placed in the Assam Legislative Assembly, covers the period from 2017–18 to 2021–22 and shows that nearly 40,000 eligible tea workers are still left out of provident fund enrolment. Out of the projected 12,37,351 workers meant to be under ATEPFO, only 11,98,231 are registered, leaving thousands without access to the PF support they are entitled to.
The audit points to widespread defaults by tea estates in depositing statutory contributions. By March 2022, as many as 334 estates had not deposited ₹315.45 crore, with delays stretching up to five years in most cases. The report notes that estates under Assam Tea Corporation Limited, already struggling financially, were the biggest defaulters. Nineteen ATCL estates with 20,994 employees had not deposited either employee or employer shares since 2005. Their dues had climbed to ₹419.07 crore with interest, of which only ₹32.43 crore had been deposited until March 2022. ATEPFO later said that ATCL cleared its pending contribution by September 2023, although interest payments were still ongoing.
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While the organisation recorded high settlement rates for PF and pension claims, the audit reveals striking delays in family pension settlements, which remained between 10% and 39% during the period reviewed. It also found that 1,994 processed claims worth ₹14.01 crore were never credited to beneficiaries because of failed transactions, with over half pending for more than three years.
The CAG further criticised ATEPFO for investing in corporate bonds that did not meet safety norms, leading to an interest loss of ₹11.42 crore so far and exposing the fund to possible losses of ₹69.61 crore by maturity in September 2027. The findings underline how operational lapses, weak enforcement and unsound financial decisions are putting Assam’s tea workforce at risk, despite ATEPFO’s mandate to protect their social security.
