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28 ஜூலை, 2015

FORMER PRESIDENT A P J ABDUL KALAM PASSES AWAY. A BIG SALUTE TO THE MISSILE MAN



            News: Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam Passed Away: Former Indian President Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam) Passed Away today(27.07.2015). He was reportedly collapsed on stage while giving a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong and immediately rushed to hospital. Doctors say he suffered from a cardiac arrest.

            Dr Kalam was born in Rameswaram on October 15, 1931, to a boatman. He played a pivotal role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998, the first since the test by India in 1974. He was known as Missile Man India for ensuring the success of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). For his achievements, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna, and then he became the 11th President of India in 2002. He was THE BEST and the ONLY president of India who inspired youth. His life itself is a motivational lesson for the modern youth

APJ Abdl Kalam : Timeline of Important Dates : 

1931 : A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born on 15th October. 
1954: Graduated from Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli. 
1955: Enrolled at the Madras Institute of Technology to study aerospace engineering. 
1960: Joined Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as a chief scientist. 
1969: Was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). 
1981 : Honored with Padma Bhushan 
1990 : Honored with Padma Vibhushan 
1992-1999: Served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence Research and Development Organisation. 
1997 : Honored with Bharat Ratna 
1997 : Honored with Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration 
2002-2007: Served as the 11th President of India. 
2015 : Passed Away on 27th July. 

Famous Books by Abdul Kalam :

Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology (1988) 
India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium (1998) 
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography (1999) 
Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India (2002) 
The Luminous Sparks (2004) 
Mission India (2005) 
Inspiring Thoughts (2007) 
Indomitable Spirit (2007) 
Envisioning an Empowered Nation (2010) 
You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond (2011) 
Turning Points: A journey through challenges (2012) 
Target 3 Billion (2011) 
My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions (2013) 
A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020 (2014) 

Transcendence My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji (2015)

23 ஜூலை, 2015


Payments bank licence imminent for India Post

If approved, it will be consistent with PM’s plan to use post offices to deliver financial services to remote areas 
Payments bank licence imminent for India Post
India Post has 155,015 post offices across the country, of which 139,144 are in rural areas. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint 
 
New Delhi: The grant of a payments bank licence to the India Post is imminent, according to a senior finance ministry official who did not wish to be identified.
 
If approved, it will be consistent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to utilize the existing network of post offices to deliver, in addition to the existing bouquet of postal services, financial services to the remotest parts of the country through digital connectivity and innovations. 
 
India Post has 155,015 post offices across the country, of which 139,144 are in rural areas. 
 
To give a fillip to these existing branches, the department of posts has tied up with e-commerce firms such as Snapdeal and Amazon to deliver parcels—parcel revenue for fiscal year 2014-15 rose 37% compared to a decline of 2% in financial year 2013-14, as reported by the Press Trust of India on 12 July. 
 
“India Post will most likely get payments bank licence as they have a good case,” said the finance ministry official.
 
On 9 July, communications and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to grant payments bank licence for the operation of Post Bank of India.
 
The finance ministry official cited earlier also said that post offices as payments banks may also be allowed to accept transactions for others who may be awarded payments bank licences. 
 
The committee on payments banks headed by Nachiket Mor submitted its report last week and the licences are expected to be awarded by the end of August. However, the number of licences that will be issued is still not known.
 
Mor declined to comment, saying that as the head of the committee he cannot disclose details.
A payments bank can take deposits, allow remittances and offer simple financial products, but will not be allowed to lend. It will have to invest 75% of its funds in government securities and the minimum capital required to set up a payments bank is set at Rs.100 crore. 
 
The central bank, in November, had invited applications for payments bank and small finance bank licences. 
 
In total, 41 applications were received by RBI for payments bank licences, including from Reliance Industries LtdTech Mahindra LtdAditya Birla Nuvo Ltd and Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd, among others.
 
Shailendra Kumar Dwivedi, director, Post Bank of India, India Post, said that he cannot confirm the development and that he can only talk after the licence is awarded. 
 
“Like everybody else, the minister (Prasad) must have also heard it from some quarters. But given the credentials and readiness of the postal department, it must get the licence,” he said, adding that right now, it is uncertain.
 
However, Dwivedi added that the department has started the process of engaging with consultants who will help implement and set up the bank as it anticipates the licence.
 
A representative of a consulting firm with which the department is in talks confirmed that the department is preparing to ensure a quick roll-out once the licence is granted. 
 
The consultant declined to be identified because the firm has signed a client confidentiality clause.
 
“Since the basic idea is to cover the unserved or underserved to make them included, it should be somebody who has a large distribution network, reach, infrastructure and has prior experience is similar business (financial services), maybe someone like India Post or microfinance institutions,” the consultant said.
 
India Post already offers financial services under the heads of post office savings scheme, postal life insurance, money remittance service, mutual funds and forex services.
 Source : http://www.livemint.com/


Post offices should issue passports in India

Why can't the loss making post offices of India start issuing passports in the country? Getting a passport in India is a tough job indeed, even though it has gone online.

Almost 22 crore people in Uttar Pradesh live and work under the rule of the Yadavs of the Samajwadi Party or the Mayawatis of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In this state there are only three passport offices, one in Lucknow the state capital, the other in Bareilly and the third in Ghaziabad.

The external affairs ministry may say they have made the procedure simple. The application has gone online and the dalals are out of the business for applying. However there is a problem here. The multiplicity of documents required is confusing to the common man, who even after applying online for a passport from Gorakhpur or Deoria or Azamgarh, will have to tread down to Lucknow to the local seva Kendra to finalize all his details.

Here he will find, that having an Aadhar Card is not enough, as the Aadhar Card is not a proof of age. He will have to submit his High School Certificate once again, as he had done earlier to the Aadhar Card making authority. In case he has forgotten to bring it, then a trip back to Azamgarh orGorakhpur or Deoria is warranted. Now who said the procedure has become easier?

Once these documents are submitted then the applicant has to wait for a policeman to come to his house, to verify the claims and documents he has submitted to the passport office. The policeman collects several papers and takes notes and takes self attested copies of Aadhar Cards, Pan Cards and Election Id Cards and passport size photographs of the applicants. He also takes a copy of the High School Certificates of the applicants as well. So much so, for going to the passport office and applying there in the presence of an officer or appointee of the department.

This entire rigmarole can take ten to fifteen days at the end of which, a passport does arrive or is canceled, in the process a much wiser individual who has interacted with both the external affairs ministry and the home ministry and the state government, has a document that will facilitate his travel abroad, where he can holiday in Switzerland, go for Haj to Saudi Arabia or study in Australia and Canada and the United Kingdom or the USA. Life can now be lived kingsize.

In this process no one says that police harass them for money in the name of verification, and the police and the external affairs ministry are groping in the dark to find better ways and means to issue a passport, but the same passport is handed to British citizens in London by the post office within 24 hours. The same happens in former British colonies like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and at the most, the process takes 48 hours and if you are lucky, the travel document will be available the same evening, if you apply in the morning. All because the post office handles this work.

To get a similar process begun in India, the Ministry of External Affairs has to link up with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, which oversees the work of the IndiaPostal services. This is not a big task, but it may help in reducing the losses that the department is incurring every year. Even though Aadhar Cards and the Unique Identification Number work was given to this department, its financial loss was around Rs. 6,800 crore in 2012 alone.

The situation is unique, as despite the fact that the postal department is a losing proposition, its staff has to be given increased salaries, as they are central government employees and the Sixth Pay commission took the lid off salaries. So while their work has reduced, their pays have increased.

The government in this case can neither shut down the post offices nor can it dismiss the staff. At the same time several postal services are being discontinued or have already gone into the pages of history. The Telegraph office is now a thing of the past and was killed by the SMS and the Email.

Whatever was left was destroyed by Facebook and WhatsApp. The government employees who work in the postal department will despite all this, get a major hike in salaries when the next pay commission comes along. It would be better to generate work for them by allowing them to issue passports, as is done in several other countries.

In the old framework of things, when nations lived in isolation, it made sense to have bamboo curtains and iron curtains. Now the passport is just a travel document and easier access to passports should be possible.

However something in our procedures is lopsided. While it is easy to get a driving license even if you do not know how to drive a car properly, and could end up endangering the lives of several persons, it is tough to get a gun license, even though it is vital to have a gun for self defense in a country, where law and order is a big problem and criminals are easily accessing guns and bombs.

Similarly when economic liberalization has become the order of the day and boundaries between nations are vanishing, with the average Indian becoming an international citizen, getting a passport should be in the hands of post offices, to make things easier and justify the high salaries paid to the postal staff.
Source : http://www.merinews.com/
Why can't the loss making post offices of India start issuing passports in the country? Getting a passport in India is a tough job indeed, even though it has gone online.
Almost 22 crore people in Uttar Pradesh live and work under the rule of the Yadavs of the Samajwadi Party or the Mayawatis of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In this state there are only three passport offices, one in Lucknow the state capital, the other in Bareilly and the third in Ghaziabad.
The external affairs ministry may say they have made the procedure simple. The application has gone online and the dalals are out of the business for applying. However there is a problem here. The multiplicity of documents required is confusing to the common man, who even after applying online for a passport from Gorakhpur or Deoria or Azamgarh, will have to tread down to Lucknow to the local seva Kendra to finalize all his details.
- See more at: http://www.merinews.com/article/post-offices-should-issue-passports-in-india/15908074.shtml#sthash.1TWSImS8.dpuf
Why can't the loss making post offices of India start issuing passports in the country? Getting a passport in India is a tough job indeed, even though it has gone online.
Almost 22 crore people in Uttar Pradesh live and work under the rule of the Yadavs of the Samajwadi Party or the Mayawatis of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In this state there are only three passport offices, one in Lucknow the state capital, the other in Bareilly and the third in Ghaziabad.
The external affairs ministry may say they have made the procedure simple. The application has gone online and the dalals are out of the business for applying. However there is a problem here. The multiplicity of documents required is confusing to the common man, who even after applying online for a passport from Gorakhpur or Deoria or Azamgarh, will have to tread down to Lucknow to the local seva Kendra to finalize all his details.
- See more at: http://www.merinews.com/article/post-offices-should-issue-passports-in-india/15908074.shtml#sthash.1TWSImS8.dpuf




Performance bonus for govt employees yet to come into force

New Delhi: A scheme to give performance- linked incentive to central government employees is yet to be implemented, the government said on Wednesday.

The central government has accepted in principle the recommendation of the sixth pay commission for introduction of a performance-related incentive scheme in the form of pecuniary benefit over and above the regular salary, for it employees, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh told Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Singh said the government has not implemented the scheme.
Source : PTI, Courtesy : http://zeenews.india.com


Revenue receipts for Department of Posts up 25% to Rs 11,733 crore in 2014-15


Revenue receipts of the Department of Posts increased to Rs 11,733.13 crore in 2014-15, up 25 per cent from the end of March 2013, Parliament was informed today. 

The receipts stood at Rs 9,366.50 crore in the financial year 2012-13. 

"Owing to the Department's consistent focus on quality improvement and increasing use of technology, the revenue receipts have steadily grown from Rs 9,366.50 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 11,733.13 crore in 2014-15," Minister of Communications and Information TechnologyRavi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. 

Speed post, which is the flagship express mail product of the department, has also shown increase in revenue from Rs 1,261.50 crore to Rs 1,473.39 crore in the same period, he added. 

DoP handles more than 600 crore mail prices every year. 

"Parcel revenue has increased 37 per cent from 2013-14 to 2014-15, owing to the infrastructure improvement for parcel handling and delivery as well as focus on quality of service delivery," he added. 

In response to a separate query, Prasad said so far, 2,940 post offices have been modernised under Project Arrow. 

"The Department has put in place a Programme Management Governance Structure, which plays a key role in monitoring the IT Modernisation project approved by the government," he said. 

Prasad said the governance structure is four-tiered with an apex inter-ministerial steering committee to review, monitor and guide the progress of the project.

RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSIONS
 46th SESSION OF I.L.C.

CONCLUDING SESSION OF 46TH I LC

      The 46th session of India Labour Conference concluded yesterday at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi where the recommendations and conclusions were adopted on 5 chosen agenda items after the at length tripartite deliberations which lasted 2 days.

      In his concluding remarks, the chairman of the ILC and Labour and Employment Minister of state (Independent Charge) , Shri Bandaru Dattatreya reiterated his Governments commitment to reform process with tripartite consensus to promote the employment generation at a massive scale particularly for the aspiring youth population of this country. The consensus conclusions/recommendations on each of the agenda items are reproduced here:

      Implementation of the conclusions/ recommendations of the 43rd, 44th and 45th Indian labour conference, particularly on contract labour, Minimum wages and scheme workers and tripartite mechanism Conclusions of the committee are as follows:-

    The committee debated the recommendations of the 43rd, 44th and 45th Indian labour conference at length and expressed its concern over non-implementation of the conclusions, particularly on contract labour, Minimum wages, scheme workers and tripartism. It was therefore unanimously recommended that concrete measures should be undertaken to expeditiously implement the recommendations in letter and spirit. Periodic reviews should be undertaken by the stakeholders.

Recommendations of conference committee on “social security for organized, unorganized and migrant International workers”

      There was an in-principle agreement for coverage of all workers organized as well as unorganized under social security with support wage by Government, if required, for providing decent living conditions. The committee recommended that:

       I.   Mechanism for identification and registration of unorganized workers should be provided. Special drive should be launched for the said purpose and, if required, direct registration by the Government.
     II.       Schemes for organized/ unorganized workers should be made efficient.
     III.      Budgetary provisions should be made for those unorganized workers who are not covered under any specific social security scheme.
    IV.          The cost of registration of unorganized workers should be borne by the  Central/ State Government.
    V.       There should be proper utilization of fund collected through building construction cess and administrative expensed should not be for what is not stipulated.
 VI.    The Anganwadi/ Asha/ Mid-day meal and other such workers, the committee   reiterated that they should be extended coverage under ESI/ EPF.
VII.      As regards ESIC, the following recommendations were given:-
a.     ESIC to expand to cover all states/ UTs. All districts where scheme is running at present should be covered fully/
b.     The ESIC scheme to be expanded to unorganized sector by reducing the threshold form present 10. Self employed  should be provided medical benefit, in phases.
c.     The ESIC should directly run the health services in all the states. Stated should not be asked to bear the cost of Medical expenses.
d.    Medical Facilities should be expanded at a fast pace; establishments of hospitals and dispensaries should be decided based on geographical necessity.
e.     All construction workers should be covered under ESI.
f.     ESI coverage for round the clock for medical benefit.

VIII.    As regards EPF, recommendations were:-
a.     Medical Scheme to EPS pensioners from the surplus Corpus of EDLI Scheme.
b.    Extension of coverage by reducing threshold form 20 to 10. ‘Member of LUB opposed this’
c.     Coverage of both inter-state and international migrant workers under EPF Act.
d.    EPF pension should be enhanced and linked with price index.
IX.       Wages definition should be uniform for all labour laws.
X.        There should be a mechanism so that employers can deposit social security contributions at single window.
XI.       For construction workers, there should be a single contribution from employer.
XII.     Implementation of the decisions taken by 43rd, 44th and 45th ILC with regard to Social Security.

     However, on the point of optional schemes for ESI & EPF, the employee’s representatives strongly opposed whereas the employers representatives were of the view that options should be available.

     Removal of Conditions on payment Ceiling eligibility Limits, Decisions to pay Minimum Bonus without linking to loss when the performance indicator satisfy grant of bonus- The major conclusions emanating from the discussions in the committee are as follows:

     The Conference committee on amendment of Bonus Act – Removal of Conditions on Payment Ceiling, Eligibility Limits. Decisions to pay Minimum Bonus without linking to loss when the performance indicator satisfy grant of bonus constituted to discuss the Agenda item No. 3 of 46th session of the Indian Labour Conference met under the chairmanship of Captain Abhimanyu, Minister of Labour, Govt. of Haryana. Shri Om Prakash Mittal, General Secretary, Laghu Udyog Bharti (LUB) and Ms. Meenakshi Gupta and Mr. B.B. Mallick, Joint Secretary, MoLE respectively were the Vice-Cheirman and Member Secretary of the Committee. The Committee had the representation of all the stake-holders (Workers’ Group, Employers’ Group and State Government).

2.  At the very outset, the chairman of the committee welcomed all the representatives. He observed that the issue of bonus has been pending for long. He expressed the hope that all the partners would understand and appreciate the position of each other and give recommendations keeping in the view the larger national interest. The Vice-Chairman also welcomed all the Members. Thereafter, the Member Secretary introduced the subject. The agenda has following 3 issues:-
(i).               Removal of calculation ceiling;
(ii).             Removal of Eligibility Limit; and
(iii).           Decisions to pay Minimum Bonus without Linking to loss when the performance indicator satisfy grant of bonus.

3. It was mentioned that last revision in the limits (Calculation Ceiling – Rs. 3500 and Eligibility Limit-RS. 10,000) was done in 2007 based on the recommendations of the 41st ILC.

4.  The committee had very intense detailed discussions on all the aspects of the Agenda Item no. 3.

(i).             The Trade Unions were of the view that all the ceilings under the payment of Bonus Act. 1965 i.e. eligibility ceiling, calculation ceiling and maximum percent of bonus payable need to be removed. They further expressed that they would like to reiterate the stand taken by them in the tripartite meeting held on 20 October, 2014.
(ii).                       The Employers, representatives were of the view that total removal of various ceilings may lead to spurt in industrial relation issues. They observed that while making any change in the payment of Bonus Act, 1965 productivity of the workers and paying capacity of the employers have to be taken into account. They further observed that they are not in favour of indexation of cost of living for the purpose of ceiling and bonus calculation. The term ‘Employee’ should be substituted by the term ‘workman’ as defined under the industrial disputes Act. The present system of prescribing limits both for eligibility and calculation should be retained.
(iii).                     The State Government representatives were of the view that minimum, limit of bonus (8.33%) may continue. Regarding limits with regard to calculation and payment ceiling it was stated that they had no comments to offer. They further observed that distinction between statutory bonus and productivity linked bonus is quite relevant in this regard.
(iv).                     The State Government representatives also suggested that the central Government may consider notifying the limits for eligibility of bonus and calculation of bonus through and administrative process based on tripartite mechanism rather then legislative process every time. Appropriate amendment to the payment of Bonus Act, 1965 may have to be carried out accordingly.


Labour laws Amendments proposed/ done by central or State Governments Conclusions of the committee are as follows:-
 1.  The committee reiterates historical role of tripartite mechanism functioning in the country before any enactment/ amendment of labour laws.
2.  Any labour law amendments/ enactment should take into account three purpose namely:
(i).             Rights and welfare of workers;
(ii).                       Sustainability of enterprises and job creation; and
(iii).                     Industrial peace.
3.  The labour laws need to be relooked and updated in a time bound manner.
4.  Committee recommends that the overall exercise of the labour law amendments should be discussed in the tripartite forum and the broad and specific proposals should also be discussed in tripartite meetings.

Recommendations of committee on “Employment and Employment Generation” of 46 the Indian Labour conference (ILC) are as follows:-

1.    The committee noted that the recommendations of 43rd to 45th ILC on Employment & Employability need to be fully implemented.
2.    Recognising the employment potential in micro and small industry, especially in rural areas, an effective single-window system be established to promoted agro-based and micro & small industries with facility like concessional finance etc. A system for centralized marketing of products manufactured by these industries can also be developed.
3.    Enhance the outlays and threshold for public employment generation programmes in both rural and urban areas.
4.    Fill up vacant posts in Central Government, State Governments and Public Sector Undertakings in a time bound manner.
5.    Reiterate the necessity for publishing quarterly employment and unemployment data.
6.    With Central and State Government moving to on-line systems for employment exchanges there is a need for capacity building of Employment Exchanges officers for their revised roles under National Career Service (NCS). Need for integration of Central and State IT initiatives to avoid duplication.
7.    Utilization of idle capacity in Vocational and Educational Institutions and closed/ sick industry for demand responsive training.
8.    Enhance and expand areas for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) with effective assessment.
9.    Enhance number and improve quality of assessors for vocational training and consider including ITI faculty for assessments.
10.  To identify labour-intensive industries and new areas where jobs can be created like renewable energy and reusable resources etc. and providing employment liked training.

11.   Evolve strategies for increasing female workforce participation in both public and private employment. YSK/Uma (Release ID :123527)
POSTAL JOINT COUNCIL OF ACTION
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES
FEDERATION OF NATIONAL POSTAL ORGANISATIONS
ALL INDIA POSTAL EMPLOYEES UNION, GDS (NFPE)
NATIONAL UNION GDS


No.PF-PJCA/2015                                                                     Dated: 22nd July,2015

To
           
            Ms. Kavery Bajerjee,
            Secretary,
            Department of Posts,
            New Delhi-110 001

Sub:   Progress on the items of PJCA Strike Charter of Demands.

Ref:   Directorate, SR Division No. 08/07/2014-SR dated 5th May,2015.

Madam.

            Kindly refer to the discussion held in the meeting on 30.04.2015 on PJCA Strike Charter of Demands. There is no remarkable progress on most of the items.
            Though all items are important but two items are most important which are mentioned below and the reply given by the Department is also reproduced below:

            Item -2 Inclusion of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) in the terms of reference of      7th Central Pay Commission.  Grant of civil servant status to GDS and grant        of all benefits of departmental employees on pro-rata basis without any       discrimination.

             Reply: It was decided that the proposal will be strongly recommended and           referred to D/o Expenditure for reconsideration. (Action DDG (Estt)

            Item. 9: Implement cadre restructuring in postal, RMS, MMS and Postal            Accounts as per the proposal signed with the JCM (DC) staff side

            Reply:  The proposal for cadre restructuring of Gr. ‘C’ employees, will be sent to DOP&T next week.  The proposal for MMS and DAP will be sent to DOP&T          within a period of two months. (Action DDG (Estt) / DDG(PAF)  

            But it is very sorry to say that no progress is reported on the both items. It is learnt that 7th CPC is now preparing report and may submit its report to Finance Ministry  upto 31s August, 2015 and its report will be implemented w.e.f. 01.01.2016. But there is  no response  about inclusion of GDS in 7th CPC. The poor GDS employees are eagerly waiting the favourable decision but it appears that they are being deprived from their basic rights and natural justice.

            Similar is the position of Cadre Restructuring. After lapse of three months period there is no response from Department. During the meeting it was assured that cadre restructuring will be implemented before 31st July 2015 though later it was not mentioned in the minutes. If the Cadre restructuring proposal is not implemented before 7th CPC report, the entire process will go in vain and Postal employees will be deprived from their benefit.

            It is therefore requested to kindly bestow your personal attention on the matters and cause early redressal of the grievances to maintain co-ordial relations between staff and administration failing which the unions will be compelled to launch agitational programmes.

                                           Hoping for a positive response,

Yours Sincerely

                                                                                                
(D. Theagarajan)                                                                         (R.N. Parashar)
Secretary General                                                                  Secretary General
         FNPO                                                                                          NFPE