Digital interface between CRA and POPs

National Pension System: Digital interface between CRA and POPs for the convenience of Subscribers – PFRDA Circular dated 31.05.2021

PENSION FUND REGULATORY
AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
B-14/A, Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhawan,
Qutub Institutional Area,
Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016

CIRCULAR

CIR No.: PFRDA/2021/16/SUP-CRA/12

Date: May 31, 2021

To,
All Stake Holders under NPS

Subject: Digital interface between CRA and POPs

In order to overcome the challenges of physical handling of Subscriber application forms and for addressing the concerns expressed by various stake holders in dispatch of those forms from geographically diverse locations to CRAs, PFRDA has already made available suitable digital enablers for seamless interaction of POPs and CRAs, for the convenience of Subscribers.

2. Refer to the circular no. PFRDA/2021/2/SUP-CRA/2 dated 08.01.2021 wherein PFRDA has issued guidelines on sharing of Subscribers information in the prescribed digital format by Points Of Presence (POPs) based on the Subscriber Registration Forms (SRF) submitted by the Subscriber and generation of soft copies (Portable Document Format) by the Central Record Keeping Agencies (CRAs) based on the information thus provided by PoPs.

3. The POPs which are submitting the information in the digital mode are not required to submit the physical application form or Digital form (authenticated through e sign or OTP based Double Factor Authentication) if the same is collected by POPs. Hence with effect from 1st July 2021, there won’t be any movement of forms (physical or digital) from POP to CRA except the flow of the data in the prescribed file format.

4. For those Accounts which are opened till 30th June 2021 by POP where the complete digital records are available, CRA shall create the soft copies of digitally filled SRF and share it with the Subscribers for information and records. POPs are required to ensure that the complete digital records are shared with the respective CRA for those Accounts which are opened effective from 1st July 2021 without fail.

5. CRAs are advised to co-ordinate with POPs to collect “a line of confirmation” that the physical/ digital forms for the accounts opened till 30th June 2021 are in their custody, if the same are not held by CRAs. This is applicable to the mode where POP is accepting the physical form from the subscriber and digitizing at their end, and then submitting the details to CRA system for PRAN generation. However, CRAs shall continue to handle physical forms of those POPs which are opting for using the services of CRA or CRA FC for processing subscriber registration forms.

This Circular is issued under Section 14 of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 2013 and is placed under ‘Circulars’ in the CRA section of Intermediaries and under Circulars in the Regulatory Framework at PFRDA website www.pfrda.org.in.

(K. Mohan Gandhi)
General Manager

Click here to view/download the pdf