New Delhi: The board of the cash-strapped Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which met in the capital today, once again failed to reach a decision on the rate of interest to be paid to RPF subscribers.

It is being speculated that the board of trustees, at its meeting this morning might be forced to reduce the current interest rate of 8.5 per cent by half a per cent in view of insufficient funds.

A half-per cent cut in the interest to be paid to subscribers in the current fiscal would have left the EPF with a nominal surplus of Rs10.25 crore, while maintaining it at the existing rate would leave the EPFO with a deficit of Rs450 crore.