Now Reading: EPFO shifts UAN activation to Umang app with face authentication
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EPFO shifts UAN activation to Umang app with face authentication
EPFO shifts UAN activation to Umang app with face authentication
The Story in Brief
The Story in Brief
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has stopped UAN activation and generation through its official website. Both services now require the Umang mobile app and mandatory Aadhaar-based Face Authentication (FAT). The change follows a database consolidation and software upgrade aimed at faster, more reliable online services, the EPFO said. For FY26, the Centre approved an 8.25% interest rate for EPF and VPF, the third consecutive year at that level, with interest credited on July 15. To activate UAN, users must download Umang, register with an Aadhaar-linked mobile number, complete a face scan, and submit details. A temporary password is sent via SMS. Existing members can also retrieve or generate a UAN through the app or the EPFO portal using Aadhaar, PAN, or Member ID.
The Indian Opinion
The move to Umang and mandatory face authentication is sold as a security upgrade, but it also shifts the burden of technical glitches from EPFO’s portal to an app that has historically struggled with traffic. Calling this a simple ‘modernisation’ ignores the digital divide: many workers in small firms still lack smartphones or reliable connectivity. The real test will be whether Umang stays online and fast during the month-end rush when most workers try to activate UAN. If it crashes, the convenience narrative collapses.
Sources (2): livemint.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
Ashin Xavier: interesting
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