KARACHI, Nov 30: Over 500 new industrial and business establishments have registered themselves with the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) by availing the amnesty scheme offered by the Institution. It is expected that the registration would help collect nearly Rs20 million per annum for workers fund, official sources said.
Besides, a large number of business establishments have also opted for Self-Assessment Scheme after paying their arrears and dues at the rate of Rs150 per employees to the EOBI.
Under the law a business or industrial establishment with 10 or more employees has to get itself registered with the EOBI. The EOBI has assured under the amnesty that a company avails the scheme its past record would not be checked. The last date was fixed November 15, 2002.
However, the scheme was not applicable to such employers against whom registration proceedings had been initiated before July 1, 2002, or any of their employee had got registered before this date.
The Institution had also warned that employers missing the opportunity for Amnesty shall be liable of contributions from the date of applicability of EOB Act along with statutory increase.
Sources said that 257 establishments have availed amnesty in Karachi, where it is divided into two zones — Karachi North and Karachi South. In Lahore 100 new registration under the amnesty took place, followed by Peshawar 61, Multan 39, Faisalabad 24 and Gujranwala 23.
As a result of this the EOBI is expected to collect nearly Rs20 million per annum from the new registration. Official sources said that the Institution has collected comprehensive data about registrable establishments and plans to initiate legal proceedings from January 5, 2003, against such employers who did not get themselves registered.
Despite the fact that presently there are around 47,000 registered establishments with the EOBI, but actually 30,000 are reported to be active and are registered under normal law. However, 519 establishments have opted for SAS which took the total to 1,036, after including 517 who availed the amnesty scheme.