Dr. V.P. Joy, Central Provident Fund Commissioner and Dr. M. Ravi Kanth, CMD HUDCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the august presence of Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Labour & Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya for facilitating “Housing for All by 2022” here today.
By taking one step forward to achieve Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Housing for all by 2022, EPFO has amended EPF Scheme 1952 vide Gazette notification No. G.S.R. 351(E) dated 12th April, 2017 to provide assistance in acquiring affordable houses to the EPF members by allowing withdrawal from the provident fund to the extent of 90% of the total PF accumulation and also facilitating payment of installment of housing loan. The major objective of this scheme is to assist in building houses for workers integrating with housing programmes of the Central and State Governments.
The salient features of this scheme are:-
1. Bringing together all stake holders namely, workers, employers, financial institutions & housing agencies to provide workers’ need for Housing.
2. Forming Housing societies for collective action, ten or more members can register a society. Society will arrange housing units from public/private housing providers, apply to the concerned PF office through the society for getting Certificate of Fund & Contribution.
3. Channelizing the corpus of EPF savings to build affordable housing for the working class, withdrawal of up to 90% of accumulations in members Provident Fund Accounts is allowed.
4. Banks/Financing Agencies can make use of certificate issued by Commissioner to arrive EMI for withdrawal under Para 68 BD (3) of EPF Scheme.
5. Full/ Part repayment of loans out of monthly P.F. Contributions.
6. Eligibility condition relaxed for such withdrawal, now membership period of EPF reduced from 5 years to 3 years.
7. Members can avail interest subsidy up to 2.20 lakh in Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) through Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation through its Nodal Agency HUDCO and National Housing Bank for those members whose annual income is less that the amount specified in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna.
8. Individual housing loan repayment can be done by authorizing EPFO to pay installments directly to the lending agency.
