

BHUBANESWAR: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Odisha, organised a state-level event under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) in the capital city on June 19.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, MLA Babu Singh, Labour and ESI department additional chief secretary Chithra Arumugam and labour commissioner Indramani Tripathy were present.
Sarangi said benefits amounting to Rs 37.96 crore were being disbursed in the state under PM-VBRY, including Rs 7.37 crore for employees and Rs 30.59 crore for employers. Special focus is being given to the manufacturing sector under the scheme as it can accelerate economic growth and employment generation. The manufacturing establishments are eligible for extended incentives under the scheme, thereby encouraging greater investments and job creations, she said.
The participants watched the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi transferring incentives worth Rs 2,400 crore to around 15 lakh first-time employees and their employers under PM-VBRY. As part of the programme in the state capital, 29 appointment letters were distributed by employers representing 12 establishments to newly-recruited employees from Khurda, Puri and Nayagarh districts. The event witnessed participation of about 800 stakeholders, including employers, employees, industry representatives and government officials, reflecting strong support for PM-VBRY scheme.
A similar event was organised in Cuttack where 62 appointment letters were distributed to newly recruited employees by employers representing 10 establishments from Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Jajpur districts. Cuttack Sadar MLA Prakash Chandra Sethi was present.