UPSC Mains Current Affairs for 3 July 2026

by Vajiram & Ravi - 3 July 2026

Vajiram & Ravi provides Daily UPSC Mains Current Affairs for 3 July 2026, tailored for aspirants. We cover all relevant news and events crucial for the exam, ensuring you stay updated & well-prepared.

VPN Regulation in India, Government Weighs Stricter Rules for VPN Providers

July 3, 2026
VPN Regulation in India

VPN Regulation in India Latest News

  • The Centre is working on an expansive legal framework to regulate Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers. The proposed rules could require VPN companies to establish a local presence in India and appoint compliance officers to liaise with the government. 
  • The primary concern driving this: VPNs are increasingly being used to bypass the government's blocking of apps and online content.

What Is a VPN and Why Does It Worry the Government

  • A VPN lets users mask their IP address and route their internet traffic through servers located elsewhere, making it appear as if the traffic originates from another country while hiding the user's real location.
  • This creates two features the government finds problematic:
    • Bypassing censorship: India's blocking orders require companies to geo-block content within India's jurisdiction. But by connecting through a VPN server in, say, the US, a user can still access content blocked in India.
    • Anonymity: VPNs allow anonymous browsing and are widely regarded as privacy-enhancing tools.
  • The scale of the tension is clear from India's expanding censorship: over 24,000 blocking orders in 2025, up from over 12,000 in 2024. 
  • When the Centre temporarily blocked Telegram before the NEET-UG retest, Proton VPN reported daily sign-ups from India jumping over 120% — illustrating exactly why VPNs "defeat the purpose" of blocking, in the government's view.

What the New Framework Could Require

  • According to senior officials, the proposed rules could require VPN operators to:
    • Establish offices in India.
    • Hire compliance officers to address government grievances.
    • Face penal consequences, including possible jail terms for local employees, in case of non-compliance.
  • These requirements mirror obligations already imposed on large social media companies under India's Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021. 
  • The core goal is to have a local point of contact the government can direct to block access to prohibited content.

The Backstory: The 2022 Cert-In Directive

  • This is not the first attempt to regulate VPNs. 
  • In 2022, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) issued a controversial directive requiring VPN providers (along with data centres and cloud service providers) to store extensive customer data — names, email IDs, contact numbers, and IP addresses — for a period of five years.
  • Why a new law is now felt necessary: There is an implicit acknowledgement that the 2022 directive did not yield satisfactory results. 
  • As per analysts, VPN companies "simply refused to comply," so a full-fledged law is being considered.

The Industry's Response Servers Moved Out

  • The 2022 directive backfired in a telling way. Rather than comply, major VPN operators — Proton VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark — removed their physical servers from India and began routing Indian traffic through Singapore.
  • Proton VPN was blunt at the time, calling it an "invasive mass surveillance law" and saying it had no choice but to pull its servers out of Indian jurisdiction.
  • This episode highlights the core enforcement challenge: because VPN companies can operate entirely from outside India, forcing compliance is difficult — which is precisely why the government now wants a mandatory local presence.

The Underlying Tension: Security vs. Privacy

  • The story sits at the intersection of two competing concerns:
    • The government's position: VPNs undermine lawful content-blocking and enable circumvention of orders issued on security and other grounds; a local, accountable presence is needed for enforcement.
    • The privacy concern: VPNs are legitimate privacy-enhancing tools, and data-retention or localisation mandates raise fears of mass surveillance and erosion of user anonymity.

Conclusion

  • The proposed VPN framework is the government's second, tougher attempt to bring a hard-to-regulate technology under its control. 
  • Where the 2022 Cert-In data-retention directive largely failed — pushing providers to simply relocate their servers abroad — the new approach borrows the IT Rules playbook: mandate a local office, a compliance officer, and personal liability for employees. 
  • The move underscores India's expanding content-blocking regime, but it also reopens a fundamental debate. 
  • VPNs are both a tool for evading censorship and a legitimate shield for privacy. How the eventual law balances enforcement against the surveillance concerns raised by providers and civil society will be its real test.

Source: IE

VPN Regulation in India FAQs

Q1: Why is VPN Regulation in India being strengthened?

Ans: VPN Regulation in India is being strengthened because VPNs enable users to bypass government blocking orders and browse anonymously, raising national security and enforcement concerns.

Q2: What new requirements are proposed under VPN Regulation in India?

Ans: VPN Regulation in India may require providers to establish local offices, appoint compliance officers and comply with government directives or face legal penalties.

Q3: How did VPN companies respond to earlier VPN Regulation in India?

Ans: Following the 2022 CERT-In directive, several VPN providers shifted their servers outside India instead of complying with mandatory data-retention requirements.

Q4: What is the central debate surrounding VPN Regulation in India?

Ans: VPN Regulation in India highlights the tension between national security and law enforcement on one hand, and privacy, anonymity and digital rights on the other.

Q5: Why is enforcing VPN Regulation in India challenging?

Ans: VPN Regulation in India is difficult to enforce because many VPN providers operate from foreign jurisdictions, limiting India's direct regulatory control.

India-Japan Annual Summit 2026, Expanding Strategic Partnership

July 3, 2026
India-Japan Annual Summit 2026

India-Japan Annual Summit 2026 Latest News

  • The Indian PM and his Japanese counterpart (Sanae Takaichi) held the 16th India–Japan Annual Summit (in New Delhi), elevating bilateral ties through a comprehensive package of agreements.
  • The summit assumes significance amid growing geopolitical uncertainties in the Indo-Pacific, intensifying great-power competition, and the need for resilient global supply chains.

Why the Summit is Significant

  • This marks PM Sanae Takaichi's first visit to India.
  • Reinforces the India–Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership at a time of increasing geopolitical instability.
  • Aligns with Japan's evolving Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy and India's vision for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
  • Deepens cooperation in emerging technologies, defence manufacturing and economic resilience.

Key Outcomes of the Summit

  • Economic security becomes the new pillar of partnership:
    • India and Japan issued a Joint Declaration on Economic Security, providing a roadmap for project-based collaboration in semiconductors, critical minerals, AI, ICT, etc.
    • The initiative aims to reduce vulnerabilities arising from geopolitical disruptions and overdependence on concentrated supply chains.
  • Strong push for AI cooperation:
    • Both countries elevated their AI partnership into a strategic R&D partnership.
    • Major initiatives include: Joint roadmap covering the entire AI technology stack.
    • Collaboration between:
      • IndiaAI Mission and Japan's GENIAC initiative.
      • IIT Bombay, BharatGen and Japan's National Institute of Informatics on Large Language Models (LLMs).
      • SarvamAI and Preferred Networks for foundation models.
    • Focus on: Safe, secure and trustworthy AI; computing infrastructure; joint research; and business-to-business collaboration.
    • Significance: Combines Japan's precision manufacturing with India's software and digital capabilities, strengthening global AI innovation.
  • Defence cooperation enters a new phase:
    • The summit witnessed the first India–Japan defence co-development project.
    • Key development: Joint development of the Naval Radio Antenna "UNICORN", strengthening defence technology collaboration, maritime security, etc.
    • Japan's recent relaxation of defence export restrictions also creates opportunities for greater defence collaboration with India.
  • Major economic commitments:
    • Japan announced an investment of 10 trillion yen in India over the next decade.
    • Plan to double the number of Japanese companies operating in India.
    • The summit also operationalised the Next Generation Mobility Partnership (NGMP) covering railways, automobiles, aviation, shipbuilding, ports, logistics, and urban development.
    • This supports India's vision of "Make in India for the World."

Sector-wise Agreements

  • Energy security and resilience: Cooperation in strategic petroleum reserves, maritime energy transport, and joint investments in energy supply chain resilience.
  • Critical minerals and batteries: MoUs signed on critical mineral exploration, battery technologies, and sustainable battery supply chains for EVs, renewable energy and semiconductor manufacturing.
  • Healthcare:
    • Partnership expanded to pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), and Key Starting Materials (KSMs).
    • Objective: Strengthen trusted pharmaceutical supply chains and contribute to global health security.
  • Bioenergy:
    • Launch of the India–Japan Cooperative Biogas for Growth (CBG) Initiative, with a target to establish 1,000 biogas and organic fertiliser plants across India using dairy cooperative networks.
    • Supports circular economy, waste-to-wealth, clean energy, and sustainable agriculture.
  • Research and innovation: Institutional partnerships include: C-CAMP–RIKEN and NCBS–RIKEN, with focus on life sciences, biotechnology, neuroscience, healthcare, agriculture, environment, and deep-tech innovation.
  • Digital infrastructure: Cooperation between the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and the Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC) to focus on IPv6 adoption, internet governance, cybersecurity, etc.
  • Financial cooperation: Framework established between the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA). Focus: FinTech, RegTech, and financial market regulation.

Geostrategic Importance of the Summit

  • Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy:
    • Japan's outreach is driven by growing Chinese military assertiveness, economic coercion, and perceived reduction in US regional engagement.
    • Its updated FOIP strategy prioritises economic infrastructure for the AI era, supply chain resilience, security cooperation, rule-based regional order, etc.
    • India occupies a central position in this strategy.
  • Japan's internal balancing:
    • Japan is simultaneously strengthening domestic capabilities through:
      • Record defence spending (targeting 2% of GDP)
      • Relaxation of arms export restrictions
      • Expanded Official Security Assistance (OSA)
      • Cybersecurity and intelligence reforms
    • These measures complement its growing strategic engagement with Indo-Pacific partners.

India-Japan Relations

  • Overview:
    • Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations (in 1952), the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations. For example, the Indian PM referred to the Japanese PM as ‘younger sister’ at the 16th annual summit.
    • Evolution of relations: "Global Partnership between Japan and India" (2000), "Global and Strategic Partnership"(2006), and “Special Strategic and Global Partnership” (2014). 
    • Since 2005, Japan-India annual summit meetings have been held in respective capitals. 
    • The two nations conduct regular military drills (e.g., Malabar and Dharma Guardian), engage in regular 2+2 Ministerial Dialogues, and are core members of the Quad alliance.
    • Japan is among India's largest investors, with a bilateral trade volume exceeding $27.5 billion.
    • India remains the largest recipient of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), which funds key metro, railway, and connectivity projects across India. 
    • Challenges: 
      • The most prominent issue is a trade imbalance heavily skewed in Japan’s favor. 
      • Divergent strategic priorities—such as India's adherence to strategic autonomy and differing regional security concerns—sometimes limit seamless alignment on global issues like Russia sanctions.
  • Strategic significance for India:
    • Strengthens resilient supply chains under the China+1 strategy.
    • Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat and advanced manufacturing.
    • Enhances semiconductor ecosystem and critical technology capabilities.
    • Boosts defence indigenisation through co-development.
    • Improves maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
    • Expands cooperation in clean energy, biotechnology and digital governance.
    • Reinforces a rules-based international order through convergence of democratic values.

Conclusion

  • The 16th India–Japan Annual Summit marks a decisive shift from a traditional economic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
  • As geopolitical competition intensifies in the Indo-Pacific, the two countries are positioning themselves as trusted partners committed to a rules-based international order.

Source: IE | PIB

India-Japan Annual Summit 2026 FAQs

Q1: How is the India–Japan Economic Security Partnership reshaping bilateral relations?

Ans: It strengthens cooperation in semiconductors, critical minerals, AI, clean energy and resilient supply chains.

Q2: What is the significance of the India–Japan AI partnership?

Ans: It promotes joint R&D, AI infrastructure, Large Language Models, trusted AI governance and innovation.

Q3: What is the strategic importance of the India–Japan defence partnership?

Ans: Defence co-development, maritime security cooperation and technology transfer strengthen a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

Q4: Why has economic security emerged as a central pillar of India–Japan relations?

Ans: Due to rising geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain disruptions and critical technology competition.

Q5: What is the role of the India–Japan partnership in supporting India's developmental priorities?

Ans: Japanese investments contribute to Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and sustainable economic growth.

Temple Donation Management, How India’s Biggest Temples Safeguard Donations

July 3, 2026
Temple Donation Management

Temple Donation Management Latest News

  • Recent allegations of theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya have brought public attention to how India's major shrines handle the vast offerings they receive. 
  • Temples like Tirupati, Jagannath, Vaishno Devi, Siddhivinayak, and Kashi Vishwanath collect hundreds of crores in cash each year, besides tonnes of gold, silver, and jewellery.

The Common Chain From Hundi to Bank

  • Across India's biggest temples, the broad donation journey is remarkably similar. Offerings placed in hundis (donation boxes) are:
    • Removed by authorised personnel
    • Shifted to counting centres
    • Segregated into cash, coins, and valuables
    • Counted and recorded
    • Deposited into designated bank accounts
  • The entire process runs under CCTV surveillance.
  • The crucial insight: temples do not differ in the journey of the donation, but in the institutions governing it — who supervises each stage, who appoints the handlers, and what legal and administrative safeguards ensure accountability.

How the Major Temples Do It

  • Ayodhya (Ram Temple)
    • A trust-led system. Around 35 hundis are opened by trust officials and an SBI representative, and taken to a counting hall in the Pilgrim Facilitation Centre. 
    • Staff outsourced by SBI and trust employees count cash and jewellery under a retired banker's supervision, with overall responsibility resting on a trust member. 
    • Verified collections go into the trust's SBI account.
  • Tirupati
    • Scale backed by institutional depth. 
    • Its famed Parakamani system involves permanent TTD finance staff, nationalised bank representatives, and vetted volunteers (mostly serving/retired government and bank employees), all under an extensive CCTV network monitored by the temple's vigilance wing. 
    • Personnel wear pocketless clothes, are frisked entering and leaving, cash moves in armoured transport, and access is segregated across roles.
  • Jagannath (Puri)
    • Procedure written into law. The emphasis is on codified procedure. 
    • Hundis are opened under the Temple Administrator or a gazetted officer, with a Managing Committee member as independent witness. 
    • Each hundi is sealed before and after opening, entries go into statutory forms, and CCTV monitors handling. It has also expanded digital donation channels.
  • Vaishno Devi
    • A corporate-style model. Donation boxes are opened by committees of accounts officers, area managers, and security personnel rather than individual trustees. 
    • Finance, security, and operations run through specialised departments under the Shrine Board, with dedicated transport (including helicopters) for the mountainous terrain.
  • Siddhivinayak (Mumbai)
    • Oversight at the counting table. The main hundi is opened every Thursday in the presence of an executive officer, a trustee, a bank representative, and an auditor under CCTV — ensuring multiple independent stakeholders witness every stage.
  • Kashi Vishwanath
    • Government inside the process. The district administration is part of the chain. 
    • The 56 donation boxes are opened under a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, counting happens before bank officials and a retired gazetted officer, deposit receipts create an audit trail, and jewellery is valued by government-approved appraisers.

Where the Ram Temple Stands Apart

  • This is the analytical heart of the piece. The key difference lies in the governing framework.

Statute vs. trust deed

  • Most older major temples are run under dedicated state legislation:
    • Tirupati (TTD) - AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act
    • Jagannath - Shri Jagannath Temple Act
    • Vaishno Devi - J&K Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Act
    • Siddhivinayak - Maharashtra trust law
    • Kashi Vishwanath - UP Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act
  • These laws create governing bodies, define administrators' powers, prescribe financial procedures, and provide for government oversight and statutory audits.
  • The Ram Temple is different: the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra functions through a trust deed, not a dedicated statute. 
  • Day-to-day management, appointments, and finances rest entirely with the trust.

Composition of management

  • In older temples, key financial processes involve executive officers, statutory administrators, government nominees, magistrates, and auditors whose duties are defined by law. 
  • At the Ram Temple, several key office-bearers involved in donation management have long associations with the RSS or its affiliates, and responsibility is concentrated within the trust structure rather than distributed across a broader statutory framework.

A flagged internal weakness

  • This distinction matters because a private internal audit (November 2020), commissioned by the trust itself, described the management structure as "highly unprofessional".
  • It found no systematic financial reporting, and recommended standard operating procedures, a clear hierarchy, stronger maker-checker controls, formal HR processes, jewellery inventory registers, and tighter accounting/IT oversight.

No mandatory public audit

  • Unlike many temple boards, the Ram Temple trust is not subject to mandatory financial audits by the state or central government. 
  • Questions about public audit and oversight have reached the courts, and the trust has not publicly disclosed whether the 2020 audit's recommendations were fully implemented.

Conclusion

  • Despite all the procedures, no major temple has escaped controversy. The key lesson: institutional safeguards are rarely built overnight. 
  • Many systems that now appear routine — layered oversight, codified procedures, independent verification, statutory accountability — were strengthened only after earlier controversies exposed weaknesses.
  • Whether the current investigation pushes Ayodhya towards the same kind of institutional reform that older temples adopted after their own crises may prove its most lasting consequence.

Source: IE

Temple Donation Management FAQs

Q1: What is the standard process followed in Temple Donation Management?

Ans: Temple Donation Management generally involves authorised collection, CCTV-monitored counting, segregation of valuables, documentation and deposit of donations into designated bank accounts.

Q2: How does Temple Donation Management differ at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya?

Ans: Temple Donation Management at Ayodhya is administered through a trust deed, unlike many major temples that operate under dedicated statutory frameworks with government oversight.

Q3: Why are statutory frameworks important in Temple Donation Management?

Ans: Temple Donation Management benefits from statutory frameworks because they define administrative responsibilities, financial procedures, audits and accountability through legally established mechanisms.

Q4: What safeguards are commonly used in Temple Donation Management across major temples?

Ans: Temple Donation Management incorporates CCTV surveillance, independent witnesses, bank representatives, auditors, sealed donation boxes and documented audit trails to ensure transparency.

Q5: What lesson does the Ayodhya debate offer for Temple Donation Management?

Ans: The Ayodhya debate highlights that Temple Donation Management requires strong institutional safeguards, transparent financial procedures and periodic audits to maintain public trust.

New EPF Scheme 2026, Changes for PF and Pension Subscribers

July 3, 2026
New EPF Scheme

New EPF Scheme Latest News

  • The government has notified the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 and the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 2026, replacing the older frameworks and bringing them under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

EPF and EPS in India

  • The Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) is one of India’s most important social security and retirement savings mechanisms for organised sector workers. It is managed by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
  • Under the EPF system:
    • Employees contribute a fixed share of their wages every month
    • Employers make a matching contribution
    • The savings earn annual interest declared by EPFO
    • Workers can make partial withdrawals for specified purposes and receive the accumulated amount at retirement or exit
  • Alongside EPF operates the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), which provides monthly pension benefits after retirement, subject to service conditions. Together, EPF and EPS form the backbone of formal sector retirement security in India.
  • The new EPF Scheme, 2026 replaces the old Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952, while the EPS 2026 replaces the earlier Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995 and the Employees’ Family Pension Scheme, 1971.

Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, 2026

  • The biggest change is legal and administrative, not structural. The provident fund framework has now formally moved from the old 1952 law to the Code on Social Security, 2020.
  • For existing subscribers:
    • PF balances remain unchanged
    • Universal Account Numbers (UANs) continue
    • Past contributions remain valid
    • Existing benefits continue without interruption
  • Greater Digitalisation
    • One of the major shifts under the 2026 scheme is the formal recognition of the digital systems that EPFO has gradually built over time. These include:
      • Online filing of employer returns
      • Electronic maintenance of records
      • Digital member accounts
      • Online claim processing
      • Electronic annual statements
      • Digital inspections
    • This means PF administration will increasingly rely on digital compliance and online service delivery.
  • New Withdrawal Structure Incorporated
    • Changes that EPFO had already announced in 2025 have now been formally incorporated. Withdrawal categories have been streamlined from 13 to 3 broad heads:
      • Essential needs such as illness, education, and marriage
      • Housing needs
      • Special circumstances
  • Under the new scheme:
    • For illness of self or family members, members can withdraw up to 100% of eligible member balance after 12 months of membership. Since 25% must remain as minimum balance, this effectively allows withdrawal of 75% of total funds. The full amount can be withdrawn after one year of unemployment.
    • For education of self and family members, withdrawal is allowed after 12 months of total membership, up to 10 times during membership.
    • For marriage of self or family members, members may withdraw up to 100% of eligible member balance, with such withdrawals limited to 5 times during membership.
    • For housing purposes, purchase, construction, repayment of home loan, or renovation, members can withdraw up to 75% of total funds after 12 months of membership, with withdrawals limited to 5 times.
  • Contract Workers and Principal Employer
    • For the first time, the scheme explicitly introduces the concept of the principal employer for contract workers. Where workers are employed through contractors who are not independently registered, the employer must initially pay both:
      • The employer’s contribution
      • The employee’s contribution
      • Along with applicable administrative charges, within 15 days of the close of every month.
    • Even where a contractor makes the PF payment, the ultimate responsibility remains with the principal employer.
  • Flexibility in Voluntary Contributions
    • The new scheme expressly provides that employees may:
      • Contribute on wages above the statutory wage ceiling
      • Contribute at a rate higher than 12% through Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF)
    • Employers may also choose to make matching contributions. These additional voluntary contributions may later be reduced or discontinued, providing more flexibility to employees and employers.
  • What Remains Unchanged in EPF
    • For most subscribers, the core features remain the same:
      • Employee contribution remains 12% of wages
      • Employer contribution remains equal
      • Certain notified establishments may continue with 10% contribution
      • Interest rate framework remains unchanged
      • Tax treatment remains unchanged
      • Nomination rules remain unchanged
      • Transfer of PF balance remains unchanged
    • So, the new scheme does not alter the basic retirement savings structure for salaried employees.

Employees’ Pension Scheme, 2026

  • The new EPS 2026 has also been notified under the Social Security Code.
  • What Stays the Same
    • The pension calculation formula remains unchanged:
    • Monthly pension = Pensionable Salary × Pensionable Service / 70
    • Pensionable salary will continue to be based on the average monthly salary of the last 60 months
    • Employer contribution to EPS remains 8.33% of wages, subject to the wage ceiling
    • Government contribution remains 1.16% of wages, subject to the wage ceiling
    • The minimum pension remains Rs 1,000 per month, subject to existing conditions.
  • Eligibility rules also remain unchanged:
    • At least 10 years of eligible service is required for a pension
    • Early pension can be taken from the age 50
    • Pension is reduced by 4% for every year before the normal retirement age
    • Members with less than 10 years of service can either withdraw benefits or obtain a scheme certificate
  • Faster Pension Claim Settlement
    • A notable operational reform is the introduction of a timeline for pension claim settlement. EPFO must now either:
      • Settle a complete pension claim within 20 days, or
      • Inform the applicant about deficiencies within the same period
    • If a complete claim is delayed without a valid reason, 12% annual interest will be payable on the benefit amount, and it will be recovered from the salary of the responsible EPFO official.
  • Higher Pension Provision Incorporated
    • For employees who opted for a higher pension following the Supreme Court ruling, the additional contribution provisions have now been formally incorporated into the scheme.

Overall Significance

  • The EPF Scheme 2026 and EPS 2026 are best understood as part of a broader administrative modernisation exercise under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The key changes are:
    • Shift to the new labour code framework
    • Greater digital compliance
    • Clearer rules for contract labour and exempted trusts
    • More structured withdrawal categories
    • Faster pension settlement timelines
    • Better compliance and accountability
  • At the same time, the basic savings and pension architecture remains largely intact, which means there is no immediate disruption for subscribers.

Source: IE | BS

New EPF Scheme FAQs

Q1: Has the new EPF Scheme changed PF contribution rates?

Ans: No. Employees and employers will continue contributing 12% each, with 10% continuing for certain notified establishments.

Q2: Will existing PF balances and UANs be affected?

Ans: No. Existing PF balances, UANs, past contributions, and benefits will continue without interruption.

Q3: What is the biggest change in EPF Scheme 2026?

Ans: The biggest change is the legal shift of EPF under the Code on Social Security, 2020, along with greater digital compliance and updated administrative rules.

Q4: Has the pension calculation formula changed under EPS 2026?

Ans: No. The formula remains the same: Pensionable salary multiplied by pensionable service divided by 70.

Q5: What new timeline has been introduced for pension claims?

Ans: EPFO must settle a complete pension claim within 20 days or point out deficiencies within that time, failing which 12% annual interest becomes payable.

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