The courses mounted by the National Academy at New Delhi for Group 'A' Officers fall broadly under the following categories:

• Foundational Programmes :  For directly recruited/departmental promotee Assistant Provident Fund Commissioners

• Refresher In-Service Programmes:    For Asstt. Provident Fund Commissioners and Regional Provident Fund Commissioners.

• Specialised Programmes:   On Social Security Administration, General Administration, Financial Administration, Computer and Behavioural Sciences etc.

The courses mounted at the Zonal Training Institutes broadly fall under the following categories : 

• Induction Courses: For newly appointed Lower Division Clerks.

• Orientation /Refresher Courses: For Upper Division Clerks, Section Supervisors, Enforcement Officers /Assistant Accounts Officers.

The National Academy had the privilege of providing cross country experience sharing to officers from Karamchari Sanchaya Kosh, Nepal who participated in the training programme on 'Social  Security Administration.   The Central Provident Fund Commissioner & Dean of the National Academy provided orientation to the directly recruited Assistant Provident Fund Commissioners. The emphasis during this year has been on “Service to Members-Grievances Handling, Image Building, ‘Organisational Development/Behavioural Interventions’ and ‘Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995. As many as four national workshops/seminars for Board of Trustees and senior executives of exempted establishments were held during 1998-99 in National Academy.    The National Academy had the privilege of having the experts services of eminent faculties in various programmes like Padamshri Harmandar Singh, (Retd.), Ex-Regional Director, International Social Security Association, Shri R.K.A. Subramanya, IA&AS, former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Lieutenant General S.S. Apte, Shri Surendra Nath, IAS, former Chief Labour Commissioner, Shri Samar Chakraborty, Member, Central Board of Trustees, Employees' Provident Fund, Shri S.L.Passi, Chairman, National Commission on Labour Standards, besides senior officers of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation.  The feedback given by the participants indicated that the training programmes were excellent both in contents and quality.  

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY ASSOCIATION (ISSA)  

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation is an affiliate member of the International Social Security Association (ISSA).  The Association was founded in 1927 with the aim to:

• Co-ordinate internationally, and

• Intensify efforts for the protection, development and promotion of Social Security through out the world.  

ISSA provides its member institutions with an ideal forum for pooling of information experience.  It organises international technical meetings, round table conferences and seminars on development of Social Security and also regional training programs.

In recognition of the important role played during the past three years and the major technical input in form of a report on “Future Directions of Provident Funds” in the Sixteenth Meeting of the Permanent Committee on Provident Funds, India is retained as Chairman of the Permanent Committee for another three years (1999-2001). 

International Social Security Association Bureau in its last meeting held at Marrakech (Morocco), unanimously elected Shri R.S.Kaushik, the then Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Chairperson of the Technical Commission on Provident Funds and Allied Schemes and representative for the countries of Asia and Pacific on the Advisory Board of the President in recognition of his valuable contribution in the area of Social Security in Asia and Pacific Region.