Section 31. Provisions as to payment of contributions by employer, etc

(1) The employer shall pay in respect of every employee, whether directly employed by him or by or through a contractor, both the employer's contribution and the employee's contribution.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, but subject to the provisions of this Code and the rules and regulations, if any, made thereunder in this behalf, the employer shall, in the case of an employee directly employed by him (not being an exempted employee), be entitled to recover from the employee the employee's contribution by reduction from his wages and not otherwise:

Provided that no such deduction shall be made from any wages other than such as relates to the period or part of the period in respect of which the contribution is payable or in excess of the sum representing the employee's contribution for the period.

(3) Notwithstanding any contract to the contrary, neither the employer nor the contractor shall be entitled to deduct the employer's contribution from any wages payable to an employee or otherwise to recover it from him.

(4) Any sum deducted by the employer from wages under this Chapter shall be deemed to have been entrusted to him by the employee for the purpose of paying the contribution in respect of which it was deducted.

(5) The employer shall bear the expenses of remitting the contributions to the Corporation.

(6) An employer, who has paid contribution in respect of an employee employed by or through a contractor, shall be entitled to recover the amount of the contribution so paid (that is to say the employer's contribution as well as the employee's contribution, if any,) from the contractor, either by deduction from any amount payable to him by the employer under any contract, or as a debt payable by the contractor.

(7) The contractor shall maintain a register of employees employed by or through him as provided in the regulations and submit the same to the employer before the settlement of any amount payable under sub-section (6).

(8) In the case referred to in sub-section (6), the contractor shall be entitled to recover the employee's contribution from the employee employed by or through him by deduction from wages and not otherwise, subject to such conditions as specified in the proviso to sub-section (2).

(9) Subject to the provisions of this Code, the Corporation may make regulations for any matter relating or incidental to the payment and collection of contributions payable under this Chapter.