Prajna Capital - An Investment Guide

THE Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation can comfortably offer 8.5% interest rate to its 4.41 crore depositors during 2009-10 and still record a surplus contrary to Rs 139-crore losses suffered by it for giving the same benefit during the current fiscal. The issue of return to the depositors would be discussed at a meeting of the ‘finance and investment committee’ (FIC) on Thursday, agenda for which lists that maintaining an 8.5% interest could still give the fund a surplus of Rs 6.4 crore on the investment made by the fund. If EPFO maintains the interest rate of 8.5% on PF deposits, there will be a surplus of Rs 6.4 crore at an estimated income of Rs 12,994 crore in 2009-10. In case the interest is raised to 8.75%, the fund would suffer a loss of Rs 366.77 crore and the deficit would be still higher at Rs 739.94 crore if the rate of interest is fixed at 9%. FIC gives recommendations on financial matters to the apex EPFO body Central Board of Trustees (CBT), which takes the final ...