EPFO Builds Actuarial Skills to Strengthen Social Security Governance

PDUNASS Director Kumar Rohit said the initiative reflects the academy’s responsibility as EPFO’s apex training institution to provide officers with learning based on international standards and practices.

India's Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is strengthening its in-house actuarial expertise through a specialised training programme designed to help officers make better-informed decisions on pensions, retirement savings and insurance schemes that affect the financial security of millions of workers.

The residential phase of "Actuarial Practices in Social Security: Strengthening Actuarial Governance at EPFO India" was inaugurated at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security (PDUNASS) in New Delhi on 10 August, bringing together EPFO officials, social security professionals and international experts for three days of intensive learning.

EPFO and ITC-ILO Join Hands for Training

The programme has been organised jointly by EPFO and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO), with the residential sessions running from 10 to 12 August 2026 after participants completed an extensive online module through the ITC-ILO e-Campus between 25 May and 9 August.

PDUNASS Director Kumar Rohit said the initiative reflects the academy's responsibility as EPFO's apex training institution to provide officers with learning based on international standards and practices.

With the Employees' Provident Fund, Employees' Pension Scheme and Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme aligning with the Code on Social Security, 2020, Rohit described the development of internal actuarial capabilities as particularly important for the organisation.

Actuarial Decisions Affect Millions of Workers

ILO Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for Regional Partnership and Resource Mobilization Oktavianto Pasaribu highlighted the importance of strong actuarial governance in maintaining financially sustainable social security systems, while recognising EPFO's efforts to develop expertise within its own workforce.

ITC-ILO faculty member Charles Crevier outlined a curriculum covering actuarial valuation methods, Asset-Liability Management and international governance practices used by social security institutions.

These areas can help officials assess future financial obligations, understand the relationship between assets and liabilities and make decisions based on evidence when managing social security programmes with commitments stretching across decades.

Training Focuses on Future Financial Challenges

Central Provident Fund Commissioner Ramesh Krishnamurthi formally inaugurated the programme and stressed that actuarial work within EPFO should be viewed as a strategic governance responsibility rather than simply a technical exercise.

As the organisation manages retirement savings, pensions and insurance protection for crores of workers, actuarial assessments can influence decisions with direct consequences for the long-term security of members and their families.

Krishnamurthi said strengthening actuarial capacity will become increasingly important as EPFO grows in scale and responsibility, helping the organisation improve governance and prepare for future financial challenges.

Senior EPFO officials, representatives from the Employees' State Insurance Corporation and experts from the ILO and ITC-ILO are participating in the programme, creating an opportunity to combine international experience with the practical requirements of India's social security system.