Hyderabad:�B. Chandra Sekhar, regional provident fund commissioner-I, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) zonal office Telangana, briefed the media on the Centre’s newly approved Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, which aims to create over 3.5 crore formal jobs over the next two years.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, he described the ELI Scheme as a “direct intervention to shift the workforce into formal employment with long-term security. The initiative offers wage-linked incentives to both first-time employees and employers who create sustained additional jobs.”
The scheme forms part of a broader Rs 2 lakh crore package announced in the Union Budget 2024–25 to support 4.1 crore youth through employment, skilling and financial inclusion.
The commissioner said the scheme is expected to benefit 1.92 crore first-time workers newly registered with the EPFO. Each worker will receive an incentive equal to one month’s EPF wage, capped at `15,000, in two instalments — the first after six months of continuous service, and the second after one year, subject to completion of a financial literacy programme. A portion of this amount will be locked into a savings instrument to encourage long-term financial discipline.
For employers, the scheme provides monthly incentives of Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 per additional employee, based on wage slabs. Eligible establishments must be EPFO-registered and must hire at least two additional employees if they have fewer than 50 workers or five if they have 50 or more. The incentives will be available for two years and up to four years in the manufacturing sector, identified as a key driver for employment growth.
Incentives will apply to jobs created between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2027. Payments will be made directly to Aadhaar-linked employee accounts and PAN-linked employer accounts to ensure transparency and ease of disbursal.
“This is not just about employment numbers,” Chandra Sekhar said, “but about transforming how employment is generated and protected, bringing more young people into the safety net of social security.” EPFO Telangana officials urged employers, industry bodies and job seekers to contact their offices for support and enrolment assistance.
