The I.N.D.I.A Bloc's attempt to spread misinformation on EPFO rules was exposed by the Press Information Bureau, or the PIB, which gave a point-by-point rebuttal to the "misleading" claims. Attacking the Modi government, the opposition on Wednesday alleged that salaried people are being punished for the centre's "mishandling of the economy" and urged Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to scrap the "draconian" provisions.
In a post, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale claimed that 25% of the corpus in EPFO cannot be withdrawn and will remain LOCKED IN for your entire career until you retire.
Fact-checking the claim, PIB said that "full withdrawal of the entire PF balance (including the minimum balance of 25%) is allowed under a few conditions, like retirement after attaining 55 years of service, permanent disability, retrenchment, voluntary retirement, or leaving India permanently, etc".
"Simplified provisions allow full withdrawal of the entire PF balance (including the minimum balance of 25%) after 12 months of continuous unemployment," it said on X.
The opposition hit out at the government over the specific change to the period for availing premature final settlement of EPF from the existing 2 months to 12 months, and final pension withdrawal from 2 months to 36 months.
The Opposition had also alleged that EPF has been made mandatory, which means salaried persons "cannot escape this draconian monthly robbery by the Govt of their own income".
The PIB, in its strong rebuttal, said that EPF was mandatory under the EPF and MP Act 1952 "for all establishments employing 20 persons or more, earning Wages less than or equal to Rs 15,000 per month".
The INDIA bloc also alleged a "drastic rise in unemployment due to terrible economic policies" by the Modi government.
The PIB countered the argument with the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which showed the unemployment figures for 23-24 were down to 3.2% as compared to 6% in 17-18. "As per net payroll data, over 1.29 Cr workers were added to payroll in 2024-25," it said.

"The EPFO maintains nearly ₹28 Lakh Cr Corpus and has earned the trust of Crores of Members due to its robustness, security, and higher returns (tax-free in many cases)," it added.
As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey Monthly Bulletin September 2025, there is an Increasing trend in Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR). Overall, LFPR reached the 5-month high level of 55.3% in September 2025, as per the survey.
The survey also showed an increase in the participation of females in the labour force. "#LFPR among females aged 15 years and above in September 2025 was 34.1% and it was the highest level of female LFPR observed since May 2025," it said.
The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in September 2025, reported as 52.4% was the highest level since May 2025 among persons of age 15 years and above, the survey said.