Section 6D EPF Act 1952 - Laying of Schemes Before Parliament
Updated: 25 September 2026
Section 6D of the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 prescribed the Parliamentary laying procedure for schemes framed under Sections 5, 6A and 6C. The present social security framework should also be read with the Code on Social Security, 2020, particularly Section 160, which contains the current general provision for laying Central rules, regulations, notifications and schemes before Parliament.
Current-law note: The labour-code framework has materially changed the statutory setting in which the former EPF Act provisions operated. The Code on Social Security, 2020 has been brought into operation, and the Central Government has also notified the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026. Section 160 of the Code now contains the general Parliamentary laying requirement. Section 6D remains important for understanding the earlier EPF Act framework, saved actions and legacy matters.
What did Section 6D of the EPF Act provide?
Section 6D was titled "Laying of Schemes before Parliament". Its purpose was to subject schemes made under specified provisions of the 1952 Act to Parliamentary scrutiny after they were framed.
Historical Section 6D rule: A scheme framed under Section 5, Section 6A or Section 6C was required to be laid before each House of Parliament for a total period of thirty days while Parliament was in session.
Procedure under Section 6D
- Schemes covered: schemes framed under Sections 5, 6A and 6C of the EPF Act.
- Placement before Parliament: the scheme was to be laid before both Houses as soon as practicable after it was framed.
- Thirty-day period: the total laying period was thirty days while Parliament was in session.
- More than one session permitted: the thirty days could fall within one session or two or more successive sessions.
- Power of both Houses: both Houses could agree to modify the scheme or agree that it should not be framed.
- Effect of modification: after Parliamentary modification, the scheme would operate only in the modified form.
- Effect of annulment: if both Houses agreed that the scheme should not be framed, it would cease to have effect.
- Past actions protected: modification or annulment did not invalidate anything already validly done under the scheme before that change.
Meaning of the provisions referred to in Section 6D
Section 5 - Employees' Provident Funds Scheme
Section 5 empowered the Central Government to frame the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme for establishing provident funds for employees or classes of employees and for specifying the establishments or classes of establishments to which the scheme applied.
Section 6A - Employees' Pension Scheme
Section 6A dealt with the statutory framework for an employees' pension scheme, including pension-related benefits governed by the scheme framed under the Act.
Section 6C - Employees' Deposit-linked Insurance Scheme
Section 6C provided the statutory basis for a deposit-linked insurance scheme for employees covered by the provident fund framework.
Current corresponding provision: Section 160 of the Code on Social Security, 2020
Section 160 of the Code on Social Security, 2020 is broader than former Section 6D. It applies to every rule, regulation, notification and scheme made or framed by the Central Government or the Corporation under the Code. Such instruments are to be laid before each House of Parliament for a total period of thirty days while Parliament is in session.
Effect of Section 160: if both Houses agree to modify the rule, regulation, notification or scheme, it thereafter operates only in the modified form. If both Houses agree that it should not be made, it becomes ineffective. Any modification or annulment does not prejudice the validity of things previously done under the instrument.
Section 160(2) separately requires State Government rules, schemes and notifications under the Code to be laid before the relevant State Legislature.
Why the laying requirement matters
The laying procedure provides legislative oversight of delegated legislation. Parliament does not have to enact each detailed scheme as a separate Act, but both Houses retain an opportunity to examine the instrument and, within the statutory procedure, agree upon modification or annulment. This creates a measure of Parliamentary control over scheme-making powers delegated to the executive.
Current EPF scheme framework
The Central Government notified the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The 2026 Scheme superseded the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 1952, subject to protection for things done or omitted before the supersession. For present compliance and current EPF administration, readers should therefore consult the Code, the 2026 Scheme and current EPFO notifications in addition to legacy provisions of the 1952 Act.
Official legal resources
For authoritative and updated text, refer to the Code on Social Security, 2020 on India Code, the EPFO Rules and Regulations downloads page, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Note: This page explains the statutory provision for general legal information. For a dispute involving a particular period, scheme, exemption, proceeding or saved action, the commencement notifications, repeal and savings provisions, and the scheme applicable on the relevant date should be checked.