Over three-fourths of workers who took advances from their Employees Provident Fund accounts during the Covid-19 crisis were low-paid employees, according to data the government placed in Parliament on Monday.

The disclosure appears to corroborate the charge that the available employment opportunities and the government’s relief package have been inadequate for the low-earning workers who have had to dip into their savings.

Some 1.04 crore workers applied for advances after the EPF Organisation made an announcement facilitating the process on March 27, two days after the lockdown was enforced, the data provided by labour minister Santosh Gangwar in the Lok Sabha showed.

Nearly 82 lakh applicants — over 78 per cent of the total — earned salaries less than Rs 15,000 a month, the data revealed.

The EPFO had allowed its members to withdraw three months’ basic salary and dearness allowance, or 75 per cent of the amount in their accounts, whichever was less. The subscribers were allowed to apply and get paid online.

“The government’s support (for the workers during the lockdown) was basic in nature. It was inadequate to help the low-paid workers navigate this period,” labour economist Ravi Srivastava said.

“Those who had EPF savings took advances. Otherwise these savings are supposed to be withdrawn at the time of retirement.”

During the Covid-19 crisis, the Centre provided Rs 500 a month for three months to Jan Dhan account holders, and three months’ old-age pension at one go to the eligible elderly along with an equal amount as ex gratia. Farmers continued to receive an average dole of Rs 500 a month.

Srivastava said a family’s average monthly spending is Rs 12,000, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2018. If the top 20 per cent high-spending class is excluded, the average expenditure still hovers around Rs 10,000 a month.

“When the monthly expense is Rs 10,000, a support of Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 is very little. The workers who are not EPFO members have borrowed from relatives or exhausted their savings and assets. Many surveys have found this,” Srivastava said.

He said the government needed to provide Rs 7,000 a month per family to about 60 to 70 per cent of the population for six months. Such a relief package could have improved the demand for consumption and helped the economy revive faster.

In answer to another question, Gangwar said that subscribers had withdrawn Rs 39,403 crore from their EPFO accounts between March 25 and August 31.