NFPE national federation of postal employees urgent circular

ist floor, north avenue post office, new delhi – 110001
get ready for immediate strike if situation warrants
strike date will be advanced if department go ahead with
implementation of mckinsey reforms:
five lakhs postal employees of india post
in one voice declare:
no more closure and merger of post offices
no more closure and merger of sorting sections and rms offices
no more curtailment of deliveries and postmen beats
no more first class mail hubs and delivery hubs
no more franchise (private) post offices and post shoppe.
no more outsourcing and contractorisation of postal functions
and also we demand
ô immediate settlement of long pending sectional demands of all cadres of postal and rms employees including gramin dak sevaks and casual labourers.
indefinite strike from 2011 July 5th
in 1946 july entire p&t employees went on indefinite strike against the British imperialism
Ø in 2011 july entire postal employees are going ahead for another indefinite strike against the imperialist globalization policies and the us-based mckinsey reforms in india post
we don’t want the foreign consultant to decide our fate
mckinsey is for privatisation of india post
we shall oppose it lock stock and barrel
we are ready to sacrifice to save india post
prepare for a determined and uncompromising struggle
make the may 25th dharna programme a grand success.
organise circle level joint conventions of nfpe & fnpo
participate in the june 19th all india joint convention at chennai.
Dear Comrades,
We are in receipt of encouraging reports from various circles and Divisions about the mobilisation by grass root level workers and leaders for the total participation of employees in the indefinite strike from 5th July 2011 as per the call of Central Joint Council of Action (NFPE, FNPO & GDS Unions)
Department’s move for implementing the Mckinsey Consultancy’s disastrous recommendations has resulted in allround protest and stiff resistance from employees especially in Chennai and Hyderabad. Chennai Postmen staff has went on three day’s strike and successfully resisted the Mckinsey reforms and halted it. Andhra comrades are conducting continuous agitational and campaign programmes throughout the Circle against the unilateral implementation of Mckinsey reforms. “Mckinsey Go Back” has become the slogan of the fighting comrades.
Postal Board is trying to go ahead with the Mckinsey reforms. Speed post hubs have resulted in erosion of public faith in the efficiency of this premium services. Now the department want to implement hubs for first class ordinary mails and registered articles. Total number of sorting offices will be reduced to 77. Further Chief PMGs have already sent proposals to Directorate for closure / merger of thousands of Post offices in urban areas. Privatisation and contractorisation of the Mail Motor Service (MMS) is also on the anvil. Opening of Franchise Post offices (Private Post offices) in a new name called “Post shoppe” and outsourcing of many other postal functions are also under serious consideration. Orders are already issued abolishing the sorting postman cadre altogether.
Gramin Dak Sevaks are facing the worst attack they have ever faced after independence of the country. Bonus has been reduced. Norms for cash handling and stamp sale drastically reduced. Norms for calculating the workload and allowances of Branch Postmasters have been curtailed resulting in reduction of allowances. Compassionate appointments limited to 10%. 25% of the Postmen vacancies are given to outsiders. And as a last blow, the GDS Conduct and Employment Rules has been changed and instead of “Employment” the word “Engagement” has been substituted. “Appointing authority” is changed as “Recruiting Authority”, thus permanently blocking the chances of GDS to be treated as Civil Servants. All the adverse recommendations of Nataraja Moorthy Committee are implemented one by one. The revision of wages of casual labours w.e.f. 01.01.2006 is still pending and the orders for outsourcing their work is not yet withdrawn.
Many sectional demands listed in the 25 point charter of demands are yet to be settled. Cadre restructuring of all cadres, Decentralization of PLI and RPLI, Filling up of vacancies, Revision of OSA and OTA rates, Non implementation of JCM (Departmental Council) assurances, Non-settlement of demands raised in the Postman Committee, issues of MTS, parity in pay-scale and promotion to MMS Drivers, SBCO and Civil Wing issues, problems of Postal Accounts Staff, counting of services of ex-RTP staff, Discrimination towards PO and RMS Accountants Cadre, MACP anomalies, review of Postmaster cadre orders etc. are agitating the minds of the employees for the last more than one year.
Comrades, the very existence of Postal Department as a Government Services and its five lakhs employees is under threat from the Government. This is a question of “DO or DIE”. We have to face the challenge. We shall fight it out with all forces at our command. We are confident that we can stop this onslaught.
Let us prepare ourselves for a massive breakdown from 5th July 2011, which alone can compel the Government to come forward and settle the genuine demands of the Postal workers.
Will greetings,
Fraternally yours,
M.Krishnan
Secretary General, NFPE
Mob: 09447068125
Email: nfpehq@gmail.com
After the total failure of Speed Post Hub Experiment.....
McKInsey Model Hubs for first class mails also!!!
NUMBER OF SORTING OFFICERS WILL BE REDUCED TO 77.
Proposed set of level-1 Sorting Centres for First Class Mail
(Ordinary & Registered)
Sl. No.
Circle
Sorting hubs

Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh
Kurnool
<!--[if !supportLists]--> 3. <!--[endif]-->
Andhra Pradesh
Tirupati

Andhra Pradesh
Vijayawada

Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam

Assam
Guwahati

Bihar
Bhagalpur

Bihar
Muzaffarpur

Bihar
Patna

Chattisgarh
Bilaspur

Chattisgarh
Raipur

Delhi
Delhi

Gujarat
Ahmedabad

Gujarat
Anand

Gujarat
Rajkot

Gujarat
Surat

Gujarat
Vadodara

Haryana
Ambala

Haryana
Gargaon

Himachal Pradesh
Pathankot

Himachal Pradesh
Shimla

J & K
Jammu

J & K
J & K Srinagar

Jharkhand
Dhanbad

Jharkhand
Jamshedpur
Jharkhand
Ranchi

Karnataka
Bangalore
Karnataka
Belgaum
Karnataka
Hubli
Karnataka
Mangalore
Karnataka
Mysore
Kerala
Kochi
Kerala
Kottayam
Kerala
Kozhikkode
Kerala
Thiruvalla
Kerala
Trichur
Kerala
Trivandrum
Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh
Gwalior
Madhya Pradesh
Indore
Maharashtra
Aurangabad
Maharashtra
Mumbai
Maharashtra
Nagpur
Maharashtra
Panaji

Maharashtra
Pune

Maharashtra
Satara
North East
Dimapur
Orissa
Bhubaneswar
Orissa
Cuttak
Orissa
Sambalpur
Punjab
Chandigargh
Punjab
Jalandhar
Punjab
Ludhiana
Ajmer

Rajasthan
Jaipur
Rajasthan
Jodhpur
Tamilnadu
Chennai
Tamilnadu
Coimbatore
Tamilnadu
Erode
Tamilnadu
Madurai

Tamilnadu
Salem
Tamilnadu
Tirunelveli
Tamilnadu
Trichy
Tamilnadu
Villupuram
Uttar Pradesh
Agra
Uttar Pradesh
Allahabad
uttar Pradesh
Ghaziabad
Uttar Pradesh
Kanpur
Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
Moradabad
Uttar Pradesh
Saharanpur
Uttar Pradesh
Varanasi
Uttaranchal
Dehradun
West Bengal
Burdwan

West Bengal
Howrah

West Bengal
Kolkata
West Bengal
Siliguri.
Source: Mail Network Optimisation Project.0

CENTRAL CIVIL SERVICES (CONDUCT) AMENDMENT RULES, 2011

(To be published in Part II, Section 3, Sub-section(i) of the Gazette of India,
Extraordinary)

Government of India
Ministry Of Personnel, Public Grievances And Pensions
(Department of Personnel and Training)
New Delhi, the 9th May, 201 1

NOTIFICATION

G.S.R ... ... (E).- In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 and clause (5) of article 148 of the Constitution and after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India -in relation to persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, the president here by makes the following rules further to amend the Central Civil Services (Conduct)Rules,1964, namely :-

1. (1) These rules may be called the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Amendment Rules, 2011.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. In the Central Civil services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, in rule 18, -
(a) for sub-rule (3), the following shall be substituted, namely:

"(3) Where a Government servant enters Into a transaction in respect of movable property either in hi own name or in the name of the member of his family, he shall, within one month from the date of such transaction, report the same to the
prescribed authority, if the value of such property exceeds two months' basic pay of the Government servant:

Provided that the previous sanction of the prescribed authority shall be obtained by the Government servant if any such transaction is with a person having official dealings with him.
.
(b) in Explanation I, in clause (I), in sub-clause (a), for the letters, figures and words
"Rs 10,000, or one-sixth of the total annual emoluments received from Government,
whichever is less", the words 'two months' basic pay of the Government servant, shall be substituted .
[F. No. 11013/8/2011-Estt. (A)
Sd/-
Mamta Kundra,Joint Secretary(E

DEPARTMENTAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST GOVERNMENT SERVANTS-CONSULTATION WITH THE UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION FOR ADVICE http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadD

ANOTHER ATTACK ON POSTMAN CADRE

► THERE WILL BE NO SORTING POSTMAN HEREAFTER
► SORTING POSTMAN & POSTMAN WILL BE GIVEN A COMMON GENERIC
DESIGNATION OF POSTMAN
► ALL POSTMEN SHALL BE REQUIRED TO PERFORM BEAT SORTING.

No.25-20/2008-P.E.I
Government of India
Ministry of Communications & Information Technology
Department of Posts, Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg

New Delhi-110016
Dated 04.05.2011
To
All Heads of Circles/Regions

Subject: Change in designation of Sorting Postman.

Consequent upon acceptance of the Recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission, the Postman and Sorting Postman of Department of Posts have been placed in the Pay Band –I (Rs. 5200-20200) with the Grade Pay of Rs.2000. In view of this recommendation, it has been decided to redesignate the post of Sorting Postman as Postman with immediate effect. Postman and Sorting Postman will be given common generic designation of Postman.

2. Consequent on the redesignation of the Sorting Postman, all the Postman shall be required to perform the duty of the Beat Sorting.

3. In so far as the deployment of postmen for the Beat Sorting is concerned, it is left to the concerned Divisional Head or Senior Postmaster to work out the exact requirement of delivery postmen required for Beat Sorting on the basis of the total number of un-registered mail received for delivery as per the existing norms.
Sd/-
(Prabhudas Xalxo)
Asstt. Director General (Estt.)

A POSTMAN'S KNOCK – LITERALLY

COMMENT ON THE BOOK PUBLISHED BY DR.KK. RAMACHANDIRAN N, PMG, MAIL MANAGEMENT, CHENNAI

It was some weeks ago (Madras Miscellany, January 10th that I had referred to a book that was due to be published, Indian Postal History – Focus on Tamil Nadu. I was at the release of Dr. K. RamachandiranN's Ph.D these's-made-into-a-colourful-history the other day and heard him relate several fascinating bits of Madras-specific postal history and caught up with more in his book.

Something new I learnt was about dak bungalows, though the explanation should have been obvious. I had always thought that they were Travellers' Bungalows run by the Public Works Department. But apparently in the late 18th Century the PWD had been put under the charge of the Postal Department and, with that arrangement, the Travellers' Bungalows too came under the Postal Department. With the mail carts also accepting officials as passengers, that service too was linked with the Travellers' Bungalows and they became dakbungalows. The Dak Bearer service, as it was called, accepted private passengers too, if there was space for them after the requirements for officers had been met. This service also offered palanquins and dholis for travellers.

The first Railway Mail Service (RMS) came into operation in the Madras Circle, virtually the whole of South India, on September 29, 1871. The route it catered to was Madras-Cuddapah-Raichur. This route also pioneered the Travelling Post Office in the Madras Circle from April 6, 1874.

The first telegraph office in Madras was, I learnt, opened in 1863. Not long afterwards, in 1866, the telegraph line from Madras to Colombo across the Palk Strait was laid from Rameswaram to Talaimannar. Apparently there was a connection to Peneng too, presumably through Colombo. Then Dr. Ramachandiran N lays pointed emphasis that this boon to the business community was "particularly" beneficial to "the Nattukkottai Chettiars…. actively involved in trading with the two neighbouring countries."

Letter boxes away from post offices were introduced in the major cities of India from October 1854. That was the year the postal system introduced postmen to provide home deliveries. In February 1959, the Madras Circle had the distinction of recruiting the first postwoman in India. K.Padmakshi Amma was appointed to the Thiruvanathapuram Postal Division.

Despite this column welcoming the postman's knock, it would appear to be out of touch with all the different services the Postal Department offers. I had heard of the Postal Savings Bank, but the Postal Life Insurance Scheme was a new one on me. Apparently the success of the banking scheme introduced on April 1, 1882 led to the insurance scheme being launched on February 1, 1884, originally for postal employees alone, but gradually being extended to government and quasi-government service employees as a whole. Giving an idea of how big this business is, is the record of R. Venkadesan, Development Officer, PLI, in the Tamil Nadu Circle. For 12 years in succession he has been the country's leading generator of PLI business. In 1997-98, he began his gold-medal-winning streak with Rs.13 crore business and, increasing that figure every year, he recorded Rs.51 crore in 2008-9 and was heading for nearly Rs.100 crore the next year at the time the book was being written.

Snippets include the fact that PIN code 172114 is in Sikkim and is the highest post office in the world, at 15,500 feet, that the first postage stamp on a Tamil Nadu subject was issued on August 15, 1949, and featured a Nataraja bronze, the first Tamil Nadu Centenary to be honoured was that of the University of Madras on December 31, 1957, and that the first Tamil personages to be honoured were the legendary Tiruvalluvar on February 15, 1960 and the more recent Subramania Bharati on September 11, 1960.

And did you know that C.V.Raman, Akilan the author, R.S. Manohar and Vivek the actors, K.Balachander the film director, and Dr.V. Gopalakrishnan, the toponymist and linguist, had all served in the Postal Department at some time in their lives?

All this information and more that, reading between the lines, I sense is available warrant a much more comprehensive history of the Postal Department, the present edition just whetting the appetite.

Hindu 8.5.2011.

DIRECTORATE RELEASED TRANSFER ORDERS OF PMG’S UNDER CLUSTER POLICY IN SAG GRADE

http://www.sahuliyat.com/index.php?categoryid=29&p2003_error=al

SACHIN PILOT | POSTAL DEPARTMENT CAN HELP BRING ABOUT FINANCIAL INCLUSION

With 800 million Indians using mobile phones, Internet services and new forms of technologies, the traditional volume and revenue streams of the department are on a steady decline, says Sachin Pilot, junior minister for communications and information technology

Liz Mathew

New Delhi: As junior minister for communications and information technology, Sachin Pilot is closely involved with telecom policy, besides overseeing the 150-year postal department. In an interview, the 33-year-old Congress parliamentarian from Ajmer spoke about the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's plan for the postal department, and its new telecom policy that will allow for mergers and acquisitions in the sector and for sharing and trading in air waves. Edited excerpts:

How is the postal department making use of the progress in communication technology for services beyond delivering letters, such as for money transfers?
The department of post is a very old department, a very crucial part of our cultural heritage, our nationalism. As of today, we have 155,000 post offices, and a majority of these post offices, in fact 90% of them, are in rural areas.

With 800 million Indians using mobile phones, Internet services and new forms of technologies, the traditional volume and revenue streams of the department are on a steady decline. We need to re-innovate, explore new avenues for our earnings.

The network is crucial. We are trying to computerize it. We are also offering services —insurance services and financial services. We are trying to make sure that utility bills can be paid from there, railway tickets can be issued from there, to increase its foothold. The idea is to make it a strong, economically dynamic organization. We are working on re-training the skills of the people in post offices.

How do you see the postal department playing a role in the UPA government's goal of achieving financial inclusion?

Initiating changes: Pilot says the new telecom policy will allow for mergers and acquisitions in the sector. Ramesh Pathania/Mint

India is a country that has grown in the last decade at 9% GDP (gross domestic product) and the need of the hour is financial inclusion. It's probably not practical for all the banks to have branches in the 650,000 villages we have today for equitable distribution of financial goods and services.

Post offices have a physical presence in every nook and corner of the country. We are trying to synergize between the financial services sector and the trust and the faith and the sanctity the department carries... So the department of post, with its presence and skilled employees, can become the agent of change to bring about financial inclusion. So, financial inclusion, expanding the scope of these institutions to have banking systems inculcated in our services, is the objective of the department.

Ten years down the line, what do you see as the role of the postal department, given the advances in communication technology?

We will probably be doing more services in a digitized format. India has 22 official languages. In my ministry, information technology, we have encouraged people to have the local content, local language and those software applications can be used to deliver these services—financial banking, postal services, etc. The department of post is very well placed to reap the benefits of the culmination happening in ICT (information and communication technology).

As the presence of the postal department is so wide, we can use them not just for NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) payment, which currently happens through post offices in some villages, for other social sector schemes, too.

There is a growing anger against politicians, especially among youngsters. What role can a politician like you play here?

The perception about politicians certainly needs to change. We will have to encourage people who are upright, honest and who are working with some conviction (in politics). I believe as politicians, we will have to live as examples. We have to inculcate faith in the political system. Younger people taking up that role helps in establishing that faith...

I don't think there is anything wrong in having a transparent system. If it brings out the not-so-good side of our system, so be it. Let's not be in denial. Let's fight it (corruption), let's confront it and uproot it. That's the message we want to convey. As far as the government is concerned, it's been our policy that if anyone is found in any wrong conduct, misconduct or omission, he or she would be taken to task.

The telecom ministry is in the news for the wrong reasons (controversies over the irregularities in second-generation spectrum allocation). What are the other initiatives the ministry has taken in the recent past?

What we have been able to do is to provide the cheapest call rate on the planet. What we have been able to do is to add 18 million subscribers every month. What we have been able to do is create the world's second largest telecom market. What we want to do and we will do is to have a new telecom policy... The new telecom policy will come out in a few months. We have been making sure that all the stakeholders are brought for discussion.

The government must realize reasonable revenues for its resources, which is spectrum. Very soon, we will decide on a mechanism to price it. We must also ensure robust growth for the industry. We don't want to kill the industry with our new policy. The third and most important aspect is that our people should have the best quality of services at the cheapest price. These three will form the pillars of the telecom policy.

It will be transparent, above board and will have everyone's interests in mind. We are going to allow mergers and acquisitions to take place. But we have mandated that each circle should have at least six players to operate to allow good competition. We have talked about spectrum sharing, spectrum trading, uniform spectrum charges. We will soon take a decision.
Courtesy: liz.m@livemint.com

EXTENSION OF SCOPE OF FAMILY PENSION TO WIDOWED/DIVORCED/UNMARRIED DAUGHTER AND DEPENDENT DISABLED SIBLINGS OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SERVANTS/PENSIONERSh

ACTION SEEMS ON DEPARTMENTAL COUNCIL MEETING SUBJECTS

NO. 5-4/2011-PAP
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND IT
DEPARTMENT OF POSTS
(ESTABLISHMENT DIVISION)
DAK BHAWAN, SANSAD MARG, NEW DELHI – 110001

The 28th April, 2011

To,

All Heads of Circles

Subject: - (i) DC – JCM item No. 49 regarding grant of Road Millage to the staff entrusted the work of Cheque clearance, etc.

(ii) DC-JCM item No. 60-regarding grant of Fixed conveyance allowance to Marketing Executives.

Sir/Madam,

I am directed to say that in the meeting of the Departmental Council of JCM, held on 27.08.2011, the staff side has inter alia raised the following two issues for consideration and taking appropriate decision.

(i) DC-JCM item No. 49: regarding grant of Road Millage to the staff entrusted the work of Cheque clearance, etc.

(ii) DC-JCM item No. 60-regarding grant of Fixed conveyance allowance to Marketing Executive.

2.0 Item 49: - The staff side stated that the work of clearance of cheques should not be brought under the ambit of conveyance Allowance as the officials entrusted the work pertaining to clearance of cheques, have to travel 40-45 KMs. a day and used to incur an expenditure of minimum Rs.50/- every day. Besides, they have also to pay parking charges for their vehicles. The present rate(s) is/are not sufficient to meet the requirements.

2.1 Item: 60: - In this item, the Staff side has contended for payment of a fixed conveyance allowance of Rs.1000/- per month to the Marketing Executive, which in their views would meet the expenditure being incurred by them during their extensive travels with in the areas, while performing their duties.
3. The matter have been considered at Directorate level. As both the matters pertain to various Circles, having different kinds of situations and circumstances in accordance with their ground realities, it has been desired to have both the issues examined in detail by the Heads of Circles in the first instance, and have their detailed reports, the practice followed in their circles, applicability of various rules and instructions on the subject, any representations, etc., from the concerned staff comments and recommendations of the HOC as well as estimated/ additional financial implications, if any, along with the views of their CIFAs; in order to examine the matters further at Directorate level.

4. It is, therefore, requested that both the matters may kindly be examined in detail at Circle Level and comprehensive reports may kindly be sent to this Directorate at the earliest.

Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
(S. V. RAO)
ASSTT. DIRECTOR GENERAL (ESTT.)
TELE: 011-2309 6030 / 2303 6726

GDS (CONDUCT & ENGAGEMENT) RULES 2011

The Department vide its letter No. 21-8/2010-GDS dt. 18.04.2011 has amended the existing GDS (Conduct & Employment) Rules 2001 as GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules 2011 as per the recommendations of Nataraja Murti Committee.

The main crux of the amendment is nothing but to modify the 'Employment' into 'Engagement' so that the GDs employment may further be treated as an engagement like contingent, part time etc. The following are the other major revisions.

Recruiting Authority means an authority to engage GDS on the basis of GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rule 2011. (Note hereafter it is only engagement and not employment)

A Sevak shall not claim to be at par with the Central Government employees. (Earlier in was as 'Servant of the Government' Now they are no more Government employees. They are being engaged in the postal service as if contract)

Residence in Post village/delivery jurisdiction of the Post office within one month after selection but before engagement shall be mandatory. (The new provision for the modified rules is as follows)

"Failure to reside in place of duty for GDS BPM & within delivery jurisdiction of the Post office for other categories of Gramin Dak Sevaks after engagement shall be treated as violative of condition of engagement and liable for disciplinary action under Rule 10 of the Conduct Rules, requiring removal/dismissal."

Earlier in all paras, it was mentioned as 'Appointing Authorities'. Now it is modified as 'Recruiting Authorities'. Employment has been modified as service in the midst of the rulings.

New Rules as 5.A: - "The GDS shall be entitled to Payment of Time Related continuity Allowance and other allowances as may be prescribed by the Government on the basis of workload as per the standards of assessment decided by the Department from time to time.

A new note has been prescribed under Rule 9 – "Penalty of Recovery under Rule 9 (iv) can be enforced fully without any restriction.

In nutshell, the GDS once declared as 'Extraneous Departmental Employees' but later after 1963 called as 'Extra Departmental Employees' are now being equated as if contingent, casual and contract workers by freezing all their rights as Government employees.

EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MCKINSEY

The Department of Posts has engaged MCKinsey, the multinational Consultancy for recommending the structural reorganization of the Dept of Posts and the McKinsey is issuing dictums to the Circle heads who themselves say helpless and many unwarranted changes are taking place in the post offices, RMS offices. The creation of speed post hub and the proposal for delivery hub for first class mails are the glaring examples of unsuitability of the consultants for our India Post which had its own adverse effect in the department. Let us know short about this concern so that one can understand why we are protesting and launching struggles to save postal department as Government service.

Mckinsey & co was founded in Chicago in 1926 by James O. Mckinsey. No doubt it is one of the leading Management consultancy which suits the countries adopting capitalism, globalization policies. It advocates the method of Privatization, Public Private Partnership, Globalization polices etc. There are many big concerns collapsed after they were engaging it as their consultants. 'Enron' was one of the biggest firms collapsed after they engaged Mckinsey as consultants. The CEO, Enron Sri. Jeff Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison. 'Swiss air' was another which entered bankruptcy after the Mckinsey recommended the 'The Hunter strategy'. 'Railtrack', the British railway company also collapsed after following Mckinsey's advice to reduce spending on infrastructure and return cash to share holders instead, after which there was a number of fatal accidents. There are cellular phone companies worst hit due its Mckinsey Reforms.

Mckinsey is a named defendant in Hurricane Katrina litigation for the advice to insurance companies to stop premium leakage by undervaluing claims using the tactics of 'deny, delay and defend."

Several civil suits have been filed against home insurance and vehicle insurance companies after the insurers were advised by Mckinsey and allegedly paid the insurance parties significantly less than the actual value of the damage, Mckinsey was cited in a February 2007 CNN article with developing controversial car insurance practices used by State Farm and All state in the mid 1990s to avoid paying claims involving Soft tissue injury. The List will become tail like General Electronic CO, Minnaepolis Public Schools etc. There are many books and articles written by various eminent economist and others about the series of blunders and disasters alleged to have been Mckinsey's consultant's fault.

Mckinsey & Postal

If you go through industry insight of Mckinsey, you can find the following which will alone exhibits its recommendations to be made for India Posts on privatization and dismantle the existing Government Service.

"Postal, Express, and Parcel Services"

"In addition to new technologies and systems, globalizations, deregulation, and privatization have been the key drivers of change in the post and express world over the past two decades.

Numerous postal companies have successfully navigated the path of privatization from state monopolies to become listed companies. Others are poised to being this journey. The challenges are huge.

A clear strategy, supported by strong management, detailed planning, and transparent processes, is vital to a corporate transformation. We help our clients identify and pursue growth opportunities in all relevant market segments, both domestically and abroad. We support them as they position themselves to meet regulatory requirements and accompany them on the road to successful privatization. We support them in developing strategies to optimize value-add operations and processes and in implementing performance-management and staff-development systems."

No Exaggeration. The above were only the experts from the web site of Mckinsey

Mckinsey & U. S. Postal Service

The Mckinsey who was the consulting agency for U. S. Postal Service, has suggested to change a law requiring changes in delivery six days a week to three days and closure of post offices. It suggested trimming 6 day delivery by one day, to five days a week which was resisted by law makers in March 2010.

Originally, it proposed that 'the U. S. Postal Service, facing $ 238 billion budget deficit by 2020, should consider cutting delivery to as few as three days a week. It said that in Jan 2010, it reviewed 162 Post offices, stations and branches for possible closing in current year.

Both the Unions in U. S. Postal Service objected strongly about the elimination of Saturday delivery. William Burns, the President of American Postal workers union referring to the erosion of customer confidence has commented that "it will be the beginning of the demise of the Postal Service. They have already made a lot of cost savings, a lot on the backs of my union, which we understand. But what's the next step? Do you go to four days a week, three days? Once you establish the financial problems, it is never ending."

The following is the extracts from one of the Journal 'Postal Trend watch' about the recommendations of consultancy agency on US Postal Service.

"The report also proposed reducing postal wages and benefits as a means of cutting costs. Although the Postal Service is required to maintain compensation comparable to the private sector, decades of economic research suggest that unionized Postal Workers are paid about third more than analogous private sector workers. With benefits, the compensation premium for Postal workers can exceed 40 percent."

From the above, we can very well understand the policies of such consultant companies.

About India Post

"Studies by Kckinsey and others have pointed out that, in the future, India Post will be great vehicle for public-private partnerships. Following models of liberalization undertaken in other countries, some planes look to debundling the owner, operator, and regulator functions of India Post.

India Post's huge distribution network – the largest in the world – may be its most significant asset in any future partnership with either private-sector concerns or with other government agencies.

The national Postal Policy statement on India Post's Web site explains that "The new economy and modern markets require [the postal service] to become more financially autonomous and commercially flexible in order to deliver its core functions and other services." To that end, India Post has continued to look for new revenue-producing projects and the volume of traditional letter and parcel mail shrinks."

The Mckinsey & Co recommended expanded partnership with Private industry, like retail location and kiosks, Mckinsey commented about the required law changes that "actions in any one area will not be enough to close the gap." Among other recommendations in the report would be ending doorstep delivery of mail and a shift to clustered mail boxes in residential areas, creating new products and services to increase revenue, and developing hybrid mail products that integrate electronic mail with Postal service Products and services.

From the above, one can very well understand the consultancy service to whom our India Post engaged. The continuous struggles of AP circles and the recent three days strike in Chennai GPO and the chaos conditions proposed in Bangalore GPO are sufficient to know about the consultancy.

Are we going to remain silent and allow things as mute spectator? Or resist the move with our unity and save the Postal Service as Govt. service. This is the million dollar question before us.

Okay comrades. Be donning the battle dress. Keep our gun powder dry to meet the eventualities

SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME LAUNCHED FOR GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS

Department of Posts will deposit Rs.200 per GDS per month
Union Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot and Department of Posts Secretary Radhika Doraiswamy (left) at the launch of the scheme in Gurgaon on Tuesday.
To provide post-retirement financial security to over 2.73 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS), the Department of Posts has decided to deposit Rs.200 per GDS per month, said Union Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot while launching a new social security scheme for GDSs and their spouses here on Tuesday.
Mr. Pilot, who launched the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), said it was being operationalised utilising the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)'s New Pension Scheme product — NPS-Lite.
The cost of the management of the scheme would be over Rs.70 crore annually, to be borne by the Union Government.
"The scheme has been designed to benefit the GDSs working mainly in the rural, remote and far-flung areas across the country. Some modifications in the NPS-Lite scheme have been made under the SDBS to suit the needs of the GDS," he added.
The Minister pointed out that the monthly deposits by the government would constantly grow through investments in different schemes/securities by the pension fund managers (PFM) appointed by the PFRDA.
"Forty per cent of the accumulations at the retirement of the GDS at 65 years will be invested to purchase an annuity, which will ensure that the GDS gets a monthly annuity throughout his/her life and later his/her spouse after his/her death. The GDS as a beneficiary will receive the balance 60 per cent of the accumulations in lump sum to meet his/her financial requirements as per their choice," he said.
"Backbone of Postal Department"
Describing the GDSs as the backbone of the Postal Department who are responsible for running the rural network of post offices, Mr. Pilot said the Department was committed to the welfare of such important constituent of postal human resources.
He also gave away Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) cards to some GDSs.
According to Department of Posts Secretary Radhika Doraiswamy, "Of 2.73 lakh GDSs, 1.53 lakh have already opted for SDBS and 1.35 lakh have already received their PRAN cards. The existing GDSs have the option to join the new scheme or continue under the Severance Amount Scheme as per their choice. The new scheme is, however, mandatory for the GDS engaged on or after January 1, 2011."

CLARIFICATION ON INCREASE IN CERTAIN ALLOWANCES BY 25% AS A RESULT OF ENHANCEMENT OF DEARNESS ALLOWANCE w.e.f. 1.1.2011

http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/12011_01_2011-Estt.Allowance.pdf

REVISION OF FLAT RATES OF LICENCE FEE FOR CENTRAL GOVERNMENT RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

http://www.estates.nic.in/WriteReadData/dlcirculars/Circulars20073.pdf

MEDICAL FACILITIES FOR INPATIENT TREATMENT AND POST OPERATIVE TREATMENT TO CGHS BENEFICIARIES IN NON-CGHS AREAS

http://www.govtempdiary.com/2011/05/medical-facilities-for-inpatient-treatment-and-post-operative-follow-up-treatment-to-cghs-beneficiaries-in-non-cghs-areas/

FLASH NEWS

Chennai P- 4 Comrades Resisted Mckency Reform 3 Days Strike at Chennai G.P.O.
Mckency people visited Chennai GPO and they started giving instructions to the delivery staff. They instructed that the two batch system existing at Chennai GPO for delivery of Registered and Un-Registered articles should be clubbed together and it should be made single batch system. They gave instructions even to the higher level officers to implement their orders. They started threatening staff just like Police .Our Officers simply obeyed them and are helpless
Entire Postmen Staff of Chennai GPO stopped working protesting the intervention and high handedness of Mckency's people. Massive protest demonstration took place in front of Chennai GPO and CPMG Office.
Finally the administration came down and held discussion with the leaders. It was assured that the Mckency's Reform will not be implemented unilaterally and status quo will be restored.
NFPE congratulate the Chennai P-4 Comrades for their Heroic resistance to the Mckency and also for the great victory.

PAYMENT OF FEE UNDER THE RTI ACT BY INDIAN POSTAL ORDER. http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02rti/10_9_2008-IR26042011.pdf

CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

16TH CONGRESS OF WORLD FEDERATIONOF TRADE UNIONS
AT ATHENS-GREECE 6TH APRIL, 2011 TO 10TH APRIL, 2010:
A report from Com. K.K.N. Kutty,Secretary General, Confederation of CGE & Workers
The XVI Conference of the World Trade Union Congress was held at Athens, National Capital of Greece from 6th to 10th April, 2011. On behalf of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and workers, Com. K.K.N. Kutty, Secretary General and Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General, National Federation of Postal Employees participated at the Conference as delegates. Confederation is affiliated to the Trade Union International, Public and Allied Employees, an arm of the WFTU
.
The inaugural session of the Conference was held to a packed house on 6th evening at the Tae Kwon Do Stadium, Athens The session presented a beautiful spectacle by the participation of young workers of various organizations of PAME the militant trade union movement of Greece. While the delegates for the conference were seated in the middle of the stadium, the side galleries were filled up with enthusiastic comrades waving flags to welcome the delegates, observers and guests for the conference. 881 delegates representing 106 countries from five continents attended the conference. Besides the President and General Secretary of WFTU, the inaugural session was addressed by the First Vice President of Greek Parliament, Mayor of the City of Athens and the General Secretary of PAME.

In his address at the inaugural session, Com. George Mavarikos, General Secretary spoke on the plight of the working class impacted by the global financial crisis, the burden shifted by almost all Nations on its working population, the imperialist aggression for acquisition of natural resources in various parts of the world, the agony of the people of Afghanistan, Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivi a, Iraq, North Korea, many other Latin American countries, Libya etc.

PAME, the host organisation had made excellent arrangements for the comfortable stay and conduct of the conference. The delegate session commenced the next day at 9.30 AM at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship and continued the deliberations till 10th April, 8.30 PM. On 7th the Communist Party of Greece hosted a dinner to the participating delegates at the Party Head Quarters. The theme of discussion for the conference was the report submitted by the General Secretary titled "Athens Pact" containing various activities of the WFTU during the last five year period and improvement it registered in uniting the working class of the world under one platform to bring about an open democratic and class oriented movement. Referring to the activities of the ICFTU, Com. General Secretary asserted that the ICFTU had been collaborating with the IMF, WTO and Word Bank throughout the period and along with its affiliates it had been striving to bring about compromise with the capitalist class on the mistaken notion of co-existence. He particularly referred to the fact that the last Conference of the ICFTU which has now become the ICTU was addressed and inaugurated by the Managing Director of the IMF.

The session commenced with the presentation of video images of the struggles undertaken by different organizations affiliated to WFTU throughout the world and the repression unleashed by the respective Governments in support of the capitalist class.
Detailing the class struggles undertaken, the report emphasized the necessity of increasing the role of working women, the participation of young comrades in the movement and building up a class oriented movement. The delegates who participated in the discussions which spanned for the next two days detailed the struggles undertaken by them in the last five years against the capitalist onslaught. The business of the house was conducted by a presidium elected every day and Com. A.K. Padmanabhan, President, CITU was a member of the Presidium on the first day. The delegates were provided with a book written by Com. Sukomal Sen, Vice President of CITU and Sr. Vice President, All India State Government Employees Federation on thehistory of the WFTU. During the business session, the meetings of the Regional Councils and various TUIs were held simultaneously in the adjacent halls. The TUIPAE whose functions had almost become defunct after the last conference at Brasilia, Brazil also met on 8th. Most of the Directive Committee members and others who participated in the discussion pointed out the deterioration in the functioning of the TUI which was once the best organized TUI under WFTU. The need for the revival of the TUI was emphasized by all the participants. Com.K.K.N. Kutty, one of the Vice Presidents, pointed out that quite a number of amendments had been brought in at the last Conference to the Constitution of TUI and the amended version of the Constitution had not been circulated. After about 3 hour discussion, it was decided that the GeneralSecretary will circulate the amended version of the Constitution immediately and the names of the directive committee members would be placed on the TUI website. It was also decided that the next Directive Committee meeting of the TUI will be held at Katmandu, Nepal in August, 2011. The main agenda for discussion at the DirectiveCommittee meeting would be the expansion of TUI and elicit the participation of public Services Unions from countries which have presently no representation in the TUI PAE.

The Conference adopted the report of the General Secretary and the document titled Athens Pact unanimously. The document had inter alia outlined:
(i) the global financial crisis and its disastrous impact on the working class;
(ii) the growing unemployment in ll developing and developed countries which has led to increased crimes, social tension and anti-social activities;
(iii) the fruits of advanced technologies being garnered by the entrepreneurs;
(iv) the increasing population of poverty stricken people and malnourished children;
(v) the alarming decline in the age of life expectancy especially in African countries and in those National which are victims of imperialist aggression;

(vi) the necessity to demand the waiver of debt of the third world countries by the IMF and World Bank in the context that every of them have repaid the principal loan amount with substantial interest;
(vii) the unbridled exploitation of the natural resources of third world countries by the rich nations.

The report has detailed the spontaneous struggles that have sprung up in many countries against the exploitation and despotic rules, some of which have taken the shape of national upsurgence and has emphasized the need to harmonise all of them into class oriented struggles led by the working class to bring about lasting changes for the benefit of the common people in those countries. It has rightly cautioned that these struggles which are manifestation of the desire of the common people for a fundamental change might by hijacked by the capitalist class with the active involvement of the imperialist nations.
The Congress noted with satisfaction that since the last conference at Havana, the WFTU could improve its functioning tremendously and has succeeded in uniting workers of the world in struggles. It could organise a world wide action on 7th September, 2010.

Amongst the delegates who participated in the congress, about 33% were reported to be women. The Congress has resolved to enlist more and more women in active trade union work. In the coming years. The Congress elected Com. Mohammed Shabban Azzouz of Syria as the President and Com George Mavarikos from Greece as the General Secretary. The Presidential Council has 40 elected members from different countries. Com. A.K. Padmanabhan, President, CITU has been elected as one of the Vice Presidents. Com. Mahadevan (Secretary AITUC) presently Deputy General Secretary, in charge of Asia Pacific Region has been re-elected. Com. Swadesh Deve Roye, National Secretary of CITU (incharge of International affairs) has also beenelected as one of the Secretaries of the WFTU. The 16th Congress of WFTU was a resounding success both in its conduct and deliberations and conclusions. The Congress has resolved to develop WFTU into a mighty militant world body of working class to lead the workers to an uncompromising and sustained struggle againstcapitalism.

CALENDAR OF DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATIONS: 2011

OUTSOURCING OF DENTAL SERVICE IN CGHS DELHI- DIVISION 'A'(SOUTH & CENTRAL ZONE)

http://rmschqfour.blogspot.com/2011/04/clarification-regarding-fresh_28.html

GROUP 'B' EXAMINATION POSTPONED TO 29TH MAY 2011

No. A-34012/02/2010—DE
Government of India
Ministry of Communications & IT
Department of Posts
(DE Section)
Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg
New Delhi – 110116
Dated: 27.04.2011
To,

1. All Heads of Circles,
2. The Additional Director General, APS, New Delhi

Sub: -Calendar of departmental Examinations scheduled to be held in the year 2011

Sir/Madam,

In partial modification of this office letter of even number dated 26.04.2011, the Examination for promotion to Postal Service Group 'B' Examination 2011 will be held on 29th May 2011 instead of 15th May 2011.

2. In this connection, pleas also refer Annexure – II of this office letter No. A-34012/01/2011-DE dated 06.04.2011, the date of dispatch of filled in Application Forms to CMC by the Circle Nodal Officers (DPS HQrs.) has been extended upto 04.05.2011 and CMC will issue Hall permits to eligible candidates latest by 13.05.2011.

3. This may please be brought to the notice of all concerned and receipt of this letter may be acknowledged.

4. This issues with the approval of Secretary (P).

Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
(L. Mohan Rao)
Asst. Director General (DE)

NO FRANCHISEE OUT LET – IT WILL BE "POSTAL SHOPEE"

No. 40-28/2010-Plg.
Government of India
Ministry of Communications & IT
Department of Posts
(Planning Division)
Dak Bhawan, New Delhi – 01
Dated – 04.04.2011

To

All HoCs
[except Maharashtra]

Subject: Review of Alternative/Franchisee Schemes – Rename of 'Franchisee Outlets' as 'Postal Shopees' – Regarding comments thereon.

Sir/Madam,

I am directed to say that Directorate is in the process of review of the alternative/franchisee schemes to formulate a consolidated/comprehensive scheme [for urban areas] to make it more attractive/remunerative to the franchisees. In this connection, all the Circles were requested to furnish their comments/suggestions on the proposed review of the schemes. The Maharashtra Circle has given one of the suggestions that 'Franchisee Outlets' be renamed as 'Postal Shopee' as public are not aware of the word franchisee. You are requested to kindly furnish you comments on the proposed change of name whether it is suitable/acceptable. If not, a suitable name may be suggested and communicate the same to this Directorate by 15th April, 2011. If no reply is received from your circle within the aforesaid time, it will be presumed that the proposed change is acceptable.
Yours faithfully,

(Sunil Kumar Biswas)
ADG (Planning)

FORGETTING THE ROOTS AFTER CLIMBING THE TOP

INDIAN POSTAL SERVICE – NEED TO RETURN TO ITS ROOTS

It is a pleasure to go to one of the post offices anywhere in Europe – small or big. These are places where people come to post parcels and letters in large numbers. The Post Offices are clean and efficiently run and everyone waits patiently in the queue. When you send a letter, it is sure to be delivered in any part of Europe within three days and if you should put a small amount of currency, you can be certain it will not be abstracted en-route. All this is impossible to expect in India.

There are still a lot of things that need to be moved physically and an efficient postal system will help the poorest with a cost effective service without resorting to expensive couriers; the courier industry is incidentally amongst the most profitable in our country. We in India are increasingly disillusioned with our postal service and for that top management not the one in the field but in New Delhi needs to be faulted. It has lost its script and is now attempting to smarten its urban office Potemkin fashion while neglecting its rural sector where it has enormous strengths and where it massively under-invests.

The Postal Service in India must return to its roots – of serving the people with a variety of services that they need and at costs which they can afford. It is a sad commentary on the management that it has yet to find a way to reach five thousand rupees as inexpensively across India as someone with a bank account can transfer a couple of lakhs of rupees almost instantaneously to another account across the country for less than Rs.50. It is high time the Post Office is run on a PPP model with a lot more empathy for our less well off citizens and with a lot more public oversight than the ineffective formal ones we have in place.

Dr.Uday Balakrishnan
Dr.Uday Balakrishnan recently retired on VRS as Member, Postal Services Board and is now a visiting fellow at the Central European University, Budapest. His interests include financial empowerment of the poor, child labour and contemporary Indian history Courtesy : GKC Blog

THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS, GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS (CONDUCT AND ENGAGEMENT) RULES, 2011http://www.sahuliyat.com/index.php?categoryid=29&p2003_error=al

NEW PENSION SCHEME CHALLENGED

New Pension Scheme for railway employees challenged
The new pension scheme introduced by the Union Government for railway employees has been challenged in the Madras Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal.
An employee of the southern railway and Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU) have challenged the scheme terming it unconstitutional and invalid.
According to the new scheme, employees appointed on or after 01.01.2004 in the Railways would be governed by the new pension scheme which would be governed by 'Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority' which would function under the overall control of Ministry of Finance. According to the new scheme, 10% of Pay and DA of an employee would be deducted and an equal amount would be contributed by the central government.
The entire pension scheme is being authorized through various executive orders, which cannot be done to govern the retirement benefits of government employees which has to be in tune with Articles 41 to 43 of the Constitution, alleges the application. The notifications issued by the government constituting PFRDA dated 10.10.2003 and 14.11.2008 are unconstitutional, as they have not been issued by the President of India and authenticated as required under Article 77 of the Constitution and the ordnance sanctioning this also lapsed in 2005, which renders the entire process without authority of law alleges DREU in its application.
The new pension scheme, which is mandatory to government employees curtails them from exercising any option said V. Daniel, a Helper in Southern Railway. According to the New Pension Scheme, any citizen of India can join the Scheme and they can choose their Fund Managers or opt for different schemes whereas no such option is available to government servants.
The application also raised serious apprehension over the way in which their funds are being exposed to market risk and they cite the risk clause in the offer document of the NPS which says that "there are no guarantee on investments and investments involve risks such as trading volumes, settlement risk, liquidity risk, default risk, including possible loss of principal'. The application also cited the statement of PFRDA Chairman that pension fund managers regulated by PFRDA are not giving minimum guarantee on returns in their products.
Besides seeking quashing of the notification and grant retiral benefits to all employees on par with those who joined prior to January 1994, the application sought an interim injunction against the notification and also to release family pension and gratuity to certain employees who died after the introduction of the new scheme.
The matter came up before the Madras Bench of the CAT comprising Members K. Elango and R. Satapathy. Counsel R. Vaigai advanced arguments on behalf of the DREU and highlighted how the funds of the employees are being entrusted with private players and are subjected to undue risks. She also apprised the Bench that the government as an employer cannot transfer its funds to a private player and expect him to discharge government's obligation.
After hearing the arguments on behalf of the applicant and of the central government, the Bench ordered interim relief directing the railway authorities to offer gratuity and family pension to all employees who joined after January 2004 within four weeks from the date of application and posted the matter for June 1

OBSERVE MAY DAY

CONFEDERATION

CONFDN/10/2011 DATED:25.4.2011Dear Comrade, The Ist May this year falls on Sunday. In our country, perhaps the only offices which are open on May Day are the Central Government offices. This explains amply the attitude of the Indian ruling class towards the working class especially the Central Government employees being on Sunday, it gives us an opportunity to all our members to be participant in the common programmes organized by the working class jointly in all places in the country. We appeal to our affiliates and State COC to issue necessary instructions to our members to take part in large numbers in those functions.
The historic May Day - the international workers day, observed throughout the world by the working class to commemorate the hay market massacre and to rededicate themselves to the emancipation of the working class from the yokes of exploitation- this year in our country comes in the wake of the emboldened attempt on the part of the UPA II Government which was unfortunately elected back to power and rules sans the support of the left parties unlike the UPA I to reintroduce the enactments to amend the existing labour laws in consonance with the neo-liberal economic policies. In so far as the Central Government employees are concerned, this May Day would be observed in the background of this Government's renewed attempt to re-introduce the PFRDA Bill to withdraw the defined benefit statutory pension system which had been in existence even during the colonial days. The fact that this Government had no qualms in soliciting the support of the BJP and the other NDA constituents to get the necessary support for the re-introduction of the Bill in the floor of the Parliament in the last session in the wake of the objection raised by Com. Basudeb Acharya, the leader of the CPI (M) in the Lok Sabha speaks volume of its commitment to the neo-liberal economic policies, its anti worker attitude; the absence of any ideological or otherwise differences with the BJP and its overwhelming desire to support the big corporate houses in maximizing their profit at the expense and cost of common man. The one and only reason as to why they would like to have the PFRDA Bill in the statute book is to make available the hard earned income of workers for corporate investment and manipulation through the Stock Exchanges. The very fact that the extant executive instructions, which have not been issued in the name of the President is unconstitutional, illegal and immortal has not deterred it in imposing the contributory pension system on employees who are recruited after 2004. Most of the State Governments in the country, barring that are ruled by the Left Front Governments, Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura have chosen to abide by this illegal diktat of the Central Government. The Government has refused to make any guarantee in the proposed bill, which now stands introduced in the Lok Sabha to the workers for the loss of investment of the pension fund if in future the Corporate house which draw on the pension fund a becomes bankrupt, a provision available even in the Mecca of the Capitalist system, i.e the United States of America.
We, therefore appeal that while our members must be taking part in the common programmes organized jointly by the working class in each place on Ist May, 2011, the affiliates and COCs are requested to issue necessary instructions to all their branches and Units to organize meetings to observe MAY DAY on 2nd May, 2011 (Monday) in front of all offices so as to ensure that every member of the Branch does participate in the congregation.

INDIA POST OFFERS HIGH QUALITY CORRUGATED BOXES UNDER FLAT RATE PARCEL SERVICE. FLAT RATE PARCEL SERVICE ENSURES SAFE AND SECURE DELIVERY OF CONSIGNM

CADRE ALLOCATION POLICY FOR THE ALL INDIA SERVICES - IAS / IPS/IFS http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02ser/29062_1_2011-AIS-I2104

MINUTES OF THE THIRD MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ANOMALY COMMITTEE HELD ON 15th FEBRUARY 2011

http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/11_2_2008-JCA-4.pdf

AMENDMENT TO RULES OF CCS (EXTRAORDINARY PENSION) RULES. 1939 - ISSUE OF NOTIFICATION DATED 15TH FEBRUARY, 2011, PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA ON

http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D3/D03ppw/33210PPWFEng.pdf

CLOSURE OF POST OFFICES

9,797 Post Offices Facing Closure?
Daijiworld Media Network

Kasargod, Apr 23: It is gathered, that the central government has given initiation to a scheme of pruning down the number of post offices in the country. As per the new policy of the government, it believes that a post office every five kms will be sufficient to serve the people. If this policy is implemented, 9,797 post offices will face imminent closure, it is learnt.

Some post office employees' organizations have alleged that the government is planning to privatize post offices in rural places, by entrusting their operation to private parties on commission basis. Political parties claim that the 'Postal and Courier Service Bill-2010' proposed to be moved in the next session of the parliament, is an effort to privatize postal services in the country.

Left parties have charged the central government of aiming at providing help to capitalists and mega courier companies through the said measures. They fear that once the above procedures are through, postal services will hit a new low, and thousands of employees of postal department will lose their jobs.

SYLLABUS FOR DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATION IN RESPECT OF SR. PM (PM CADRE) & PS GR. 'B' (REVISED)

Syllabus for Departmental Examination in respect of Sr. PM (PM Cadre) & PS Gr. 'B' This is in continuation of earlier letter of even no. dated 08-03-2011 on the subject mentioned above. Following entries are being revised in respect of Sl. No. 4 & 5 regarding Paper I of PS Gr. "B" as well as Sr. PM Examination.

Changes Made at
Revised Entries
Sl. No. 4
Total Duration of the test will remain 3 (three) hours
Sl. No. 5
(i) Total Number of MCQ type Questions = 125 (100 Questions on issues relating to the Department and 25 Questions on Current Affairs)(ii) Each Question of 2 marks
(iii) One separate Question on 'Paragraph Writing' of 50 marks. Two Paragraphs of 25 marks and 200 words each are to be written.
2. Aforesaid clarification may be brought to the notice of all concerned.
(DG (P) No. No. 9-59/2010-SPG dated 21-04-2011)

MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF DAK BHAWAN, NEW DELHI

CHARTER OF DEMANDS SUBMITTED TO SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF POSTS INDEFINITE STRIKE FROM 5TH JULY 2011
As per the call given by the Central JCA (NFPE, FNPO & GDS Unions) a massive demonstration took place in front of Postal Directorate (Dak Bhawan) New Delhi today (20.04.2011). About 1000 Postal & RMS Employees from Delhi Circle participated in the demonstration. After the demonstration a meeting was held in front of Dak Bhawan. Com. D. Kishan Rao, General Secretary, PIII FNPO welcomed the gathering. Com. K. V. Sridharan, General Secretary, P3, NFPE & Leader JCM (Staff Side) presided over the meeting. Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General, NFPE, Com. D. Theagarajan, Secretary General, FNPO, Com. Giriraj Singh, General Secretary, R3 , NFPE, Com. Ishwar Singh Dabas, General Secretary, P4, NFPE, Com. Pranab Bhattacharjee, General Secretary, Admn. NFPE Com. P. Suresh, General Secretary, R4, NFPE, Com. A. H. Siddique, General Secretary, R4, FNPO Com. Chawan, Dy. General Secretary, Postal Accounts, Com. Rajender Diwakar, Treasurer CHQ GDS addressed the meeting. Com. R. N. Parashar, Asst. Secretary General, NFPE offered vote of thanks.
After the demonstration and meeting, the JCA leaders submitted the joint memorandum to the Secretary, Department of Posts.
CENTRAL JCA MEETING HELD ON 20.04.2011
INTENSIVE CAMPAIGN PROGRAMME PLANNED
JOINT ALL INDIA CONVENTION OF CIRCLE SECRETARIES (NFPE, FNPO, GDS UNIONS)
AT CHENNAI ON 19.06.2011
As decided in the last meeting, the Central JCA met today (20.04.2011) at New Delhi and reviewed the preparations so far made for making the agitational programmes a grand success. JCA leaders are very much impressed with the large scale participation of employees in the demonstration held in front of Dak Bhawan on 20.04.2011. The Central JCA congratulated the employees of Delhi Circle for making the programme a grand success. JCA also congratulated the Postal & RMS employees including GDS through out the country for effectively implementing the programme of demonstration and submission of memorandum programme in all circles and Divisions.
After detailed discussion the Central JCA decided to intensify the campaign programmes by reaching out to each and every employee. The following decisions are taken.
1. The strike from July 5th will be indefinite.
2. Under no circumstances the strike will be deferred or withdrawn, unless a favourable settlement on major demands takes place, especially on policy offensives.
3. Joint State/Circle level convention of Divisional secretaries of JCA (NFPE, FNPO, GDS Unions) will be held in the month of May 2011. Dates of the Circle level conventions finalized will be published in the websites within two days.
4. An All India Joint convention of all Circle Secretaries of NFPE, FNPO and GDS Unions of all Circles will be held at Chennai (Tamilnadu) on 19.06.2011 (19th June 2011) Sunday. All Circle Secretaries should attend the All India convention without fail. Up and down tickets should be booked immediately. Delegate fee is Rs.600/- (Rs. Six hundred only) per head. The Reception Committee will make all arrangements for one day stay (accommodation) and food. Com. D. Theagarajan, Secretary General FNPO and Com. K. V. Sridharan, General Secretary P3 NFPE and Leader JCM staff side will be in charge of the reception committee.
5. All out effort should be made by all Circle/Divisional Secretaries to make the 25th May 2011 mass Dharna a grand success. Similarly the joint Circle Conventions should also be made grand success by the JCA leaders.

SUMMARY RECORD OF DISCUSSIONS HELD DURING THE THIRD MEETING OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON MACPS HELD ON 15th MARCH, 2011

http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/11_1_2010-JCA-1.pdf

ENTITIES ARE REGULATED, NOT PRODUCTS: PFRDA CHIEF

The issue of regulating pension products of insurance firms and mutual funds will not snowball into a major turf war between watchdogs. This is because entities, not products, are regulated in India under the current regulatory framework, said Yogesh Agarwal, chairman, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

"We have not reached a stage where products would be regulated. Only entities are regulated," said Agarwal told Business Standard. He said pension products offered by insurance companies would continue to be regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda), while those offered by mutual funds would be regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)

Agarwal said he had not referred any issue about the turf war with other regulators to the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).

When contacted, Irda Chairman J Harinarayan also said he was not aware of any such matter referred to FSDC. "First, one needs to go through the PFRDA Bill properly. It does not make any sense," he said.

The PFRDA Bill, tabled in Parliament last month, seeks to empower PFRDA to regulate the New Pension System (NPS) and to carry out promotional, developmental and regulatory functions related to pension funds.

"There is no such provision in the (PFRDA) Bill which could bring pension plans offered by the insurance companies under the purview of PFRDA," said a senior Irda official. Pension plans accounted for more than 30 per cent of sales for life insurance companies till the new regulations, based on guaranteed returns, were introduced by Irda in September 2010.

Sebi regulates mutual funds, which manage over Rs 1,000 crore of assets under pension funds.

Agarwal was quick to say NPS (regulated by PFRDA) would attract subscribers from pension systems offered by others.

"You have already seen a decline in the contribution of pension schemes offered by insurance companies because now, you have a very scientifically-designed product in the NPS. Already, there is a move among the people to shift (to NPS). NPS is seen as a much superior product. Financial analysts are saying that. It is also the best financial product available in the market. I see a very significant movement from those products to NPS," he said, adding other products were flourishing in a period when the NPS was not introduced.

He said once the benefits of NPS would be available, particularly taxation benefits introduced in Budget, 2011, it would be clear to everyone that NPS was the best pension product available in the market. Budget 2011 provided for deducting an amount equal to the contribution to employees' NPS from an employer's business income, if it did not exceed 10 per cent of employees' salary in the previous year.

NPS was introduced for central government employees from January 1, 2004. Employees who had joined central government services since that date had to choose NPS. Unlike the old pension system, even though there are no assured benefits, there is a defined contribution from employees under the NPS. Till now, 27 states and union territories have notified the NPS. The government had also extended NPS to every citizen on a voluntary basis.

If case a turf war on pension products breaks out between the PFRDA and Irda or Sebi, it would be the second major row over jurisdiction. A spat between the insurance regulator and the market watchdog had broken out last year over the regulation of unit-linked insurance products (Ulips), following which, the government had to issue an ordinance empowering Irda to regulate Ulips.

-Courtesy – Business Standard, dated – 19.04.2011

UPLOADING OF VARIOUS CIRCULARS ISSUED BY THE RECRUITMENT DIVISION (DEPARTMENT OF POSTS DE SECTION)

http://www.sahuliyat.com/index.php?categoryid=29&p2003_error=al

REVISION OF STITCHING CHARGES

F.No. 141 1/2010-JCA2
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel 86 Training)
North Block, New Delhi

Dated the 18" April, 2011

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Revision of Stitching Charges.

The undersigned is directed to say that based on a demand raised by the Staff Side, in National Council (JCM), the question of revising the Stitching Charges of Uniforms, supplied to Common Categories of employees (Multi-Tasking Staff - erstwhile Group 'D' posts of Peon, Daftry, Jamadar, Junior Gestetner Operator, Frash, Chowkidar, Safaiwala, Mali etc. and Staff Car Drivers, Dispatch Riders etc.) in the Central Secretariat and its Attached and Subordinate Offices, has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Finance. Consequently, it has been decided to enhance the rates of stitching charges, with effect from 1st April, 2011 thereby modifying the earlier instructions issued vide this Ministry's O.M. No. 14/3/2006-JCA dated 28" September, 2006.

2. The revised rates of stitching charges, with effect from lst April, 2011, will be as under:-

Winter
(1) Buttoned-up-coat and pant -Rs. 750
(2) Over Coat for Staff Car Drivers - Rs. 600
(3) Ladies half-coat -Rs. 600
Summer
(4) Pant (Terricot) - Rs.135
(5) Bush Shirt (Polyvastra) -Rs. 60
(6) Blouse -Rs. 45
(7) Petticoat -Rs. 30
(8) Salwar Kameez - Rs. 90

Protective clothing [for Malis/ Bhistiesl

(9) Pyjama -Rs. 24
(10) Short (Half-Pant) -Rs .60
(11) Shirt (Cotton) -Rs. 45

3. It may please be noted that the reimbursement of Stitching Charges at the-prescribed rates should be done only after the stitched uniforms are produced and are duly stamped, with indelible ink, at an appropriate place on the wrong side of the stitched dress, for identification. A proper record and procedure should be evolved to ensure that the employees produce the stitched uniforms within a reasonable period (say one month) after the cloth is supplied to them.

4. This issues with the concurrence of Department of Expenditure vide ID No. 5(1)/E.I1 (A)/2009 dated 08.04.201 1.

Hindi version will follow.
Sd/-
(Dinesh Kapila)
Director (JCA)--

INTRODUCTION OF NEW EXAMINATION SYSTEM FOR PAs/SAs DIRECT RECRUITMENT AND OTHER DEPARTMENTAL EXAMNATIONS THROUGH OUTSOURCING ON TURNKEY BASIS

PENSIONS BILL CHALLENGED IN SRILANKA

PENSIONS BILL CHALLENGED IN SUPREME COURT – NOT IN INDIA – BUT IT HAPPENS AT SRILANKA:
PRESIDENT CALLS UNIONS FOR A DISCUSSION
The new Employees Pensions Bill which has drawn the ire of employees, employers and trade unions, has been challenged in the Supreme Court by the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) on a fundamental rights (FR) issue.

Meanwhile President Mahinda Rajapaksa, conscious of the barrage of criticism over the scheme which is to be made mandatory contrary to earlier promises of a voluntary pensions plan, has invited trade unions for a meeting on April 25 – two days before the bill is to be debated in parliament – to discuss issues that concern workers. Anton Marcus, President of the Free Trade Zones and General Service Employees Union which is associated – along with other unions - with the CBEU in the petition, said notices of the FR application have already been sent to the Parliamentary Speaker and the Attorney General. "We are filing a motion in court next week to take up the matter on April 28 and thus it is unlikely that parliament will be able to debate it on April 27," he said. Courts have been on vacation and due to reopen in last week April.

T.M.R.Rasseedin, President of Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL), like most trade union leaders, is skeptical of meetings with the President. "Going on past experiences, these meetings are an informal gathering mostly attended by pro-government unions. Its not a real dialogue … just some 'mock' discussions with little outcomes, followed by lunch," he said, adding however that his union would attend the meeting.
Mr Marcus said the President's Office should only invite unions represented on the National Labour Advisory Council, which has been raising issues over the pensions scheme, instead of all unions.
E. K. Vithana, Vice-President of the CBEU has been cited as the petitioner in the application which was filed on April 12 and he says the bill is inconsistent with the Constitution which he claims is violated in many ways. He says the bill deprives members of the Employees' Trust Fund of their due entitlements to the dividends realized from the investment of the moneys of this Trust Fund.
Among other issues the CBEU is contesting is that the scheme is mandatory for every employee; there are contradictions in the bill itself as to who becomes members; that it imposes restrictions to legal heirs to claim lump sum amounts upon the death of a member who has fully contributed to this scheme. It says the scheme must be made voluntary.

The petition says that under the bill once an employment is declared to be a 'covered employment' the employees concerned in these employment categories automatically become members without their consent to joining it. All workers who become members of the fund are forced to forgo a certain percentage of their remunerations to be remitted to the said fund. Workers don't have any choice but to remit their hard-earned remuneration to the fund against their will, it said.

".. there are no whatsoever provisions in the bill to the effect that the worker and in his absence his dependents will be entitled without any hindrance to the amount so deducted from the worker and to the interest accrued to that amount," the petition said.
It said workers who make contributions must have a minimum period of 10 years of contributions to qualify for a pension. If an employee does not have the respective number of years required he or she will have to make the balance payments relating to such period, without being employed, which would also include the monthly contribution of the employer as well.

If the employee is unable to make this balance payment he will stand to lose all deductions that were made from earnings. The petition says a large number of young female employees are employed in industrial and export processing zones and the duration of employment of most of these employees is often below 10 years. In such instances, they will stand to lose their remunerations.

The petition has also raised issue over withdrawal of the remittances before a worker completes 10 years of service. Early withdrawal would entitle the worker to only 60% of the contributions.

PRIVATISATION OF ROYAL MAIL - DEFERRED FOR 10 YEARS

Government announces amendments to Postal Services Bill – Temporarily saved from 100% privatization of Royal Mail, U.K.
The government has outlined safeguards which it hopes will help protect the long-term futures of the Royal Mail and Post Office network.
Announced as amendments to the Postal Services Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, the safeguards include an assurance that the Royal Mail will remain the sole provider of the universal service for the next 10 years and that MPs will be kept updated on the commercial relationship between Royal Mail and the Post Office so that further large-scale closures of branches can be prevented.

Under the Postal Services Bill, the government plans to privatise Royal Mail and 'mutualise' Post Office Limited (POL), splitting the two organisations. The mutualisation plans for the Post Office aim to give more say to sub postmasters in the running of the network however the National Federation of Sub Postmasters has called for a 10-year working arrangement between Royal Mail and the POL in order to ensure the its survival.

The announcement was welcomed by Communication Workers Union general secretary Billy Hayes. "The amendments on the universal service and the commercial relationship between Royal Mail and the Post Office have been key campaign aims for the union and we are delighted the government has listened," he said.

INDIA POST'S PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WILL BE THE CUSTOMER'S FIRST CHOICE RESULTS FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT (RFD)http://www.indiapost.gov.in/RFD.html

EXPLANATORY NOTE ON CHARTER OF DEMANDS. BYhttp://www.confederationhq.blogspot.com/

LIMITED DEPARTMENTAL COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION POSTMASTER GRADE-I

INDIA POST PLANS SPECIAL COUNTERS FOR RURAL AREAS:

India Post will set up special counters in areas that do not have access to basic postal services. The move aims to bridge the rural-urban divide by promoting financial inclusion in interior areas.

As a first step towards this, the postal department will carry out a study on the distance people need to travel to reach to a post office. The study, which will arrive at a base figure, will assess the reach of the postal department in realistic terms and determine the areas that are under-served. The department expects to finish the study by the end of the year.

"The figures, which will be derived on a notional basis, will help the department make an estimation of its accessibility on a nationwide scale," said an official in the ministry of communications and information technology.

The India Post initiative will help estimate the current state of financial inclusiveness in the country. Post offices play an important role in government's effort to promote financial inclusion in the country because of their presence in the interiors.

There are over 1.5 lakh post offices in the country, of which 1.39 lakh are in rural areas while almost 16,000 are in urban areas, according to data up to March 2010. On an average, each post office serves 7,176 people and covers an area of approximately 21.21 sq km. India Post has initiated several steps to expand its reach. Presence of post offices is key to the success of several government plans aimed at financial inclusion.

Apart from lending connectivity, post offices play a major role in bringing basic financial services like banking and insurance to remote areas. "Lack of post offices in any area virtually cuts down its connectivity with the rest of the country. So, it is important that we assess our reach and take steps to narrow down the deficiencies wherever they exist," the official said, requesting anonymity. To increase its footprint, India Post has set up franchisee outlets in areas where having a post office is not feasible.

SUBMISSION OF CHARTER OF DEMANDS ACCOMPANIED BY AGITATIONAL PROGRAMME BY JCA

IMPORTANT/URGENT

Copy of the Memorandum to be submitted to Secretary, Department of Posts, CPMGs/PMGs/Divisional Heads on 20.04.2011
JOINT COUNCIL OF ACTION
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES
FEDERATION OF NATIONAL POSTAL ORGANIZATIONS
ALL INDIA POSTAL EXTRA DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEES UNION
NATIONAL UNION OF GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS
NEW DELHI
No. JCA/AGTN/2011 Date – 20.04.2011
To,
Ms. Radhika Doraiswamy
Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan, New Delhi – 110001
Madam,
Sub: - Problems faced by the Postal and RMS Employees – Submission of Charter of Demands – regarding
Ref: - Our Letter No. JCA/AGTN/2011 dated 01.04.2011
The joint meeting of the National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE), Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO) and GDS Unions has reviewed the situation prevailing in the Department of Posts and has decided to organize agitational programmes culminating in indefinite strike from 5th July 2011 for realization of the genuine demands of the Postal and RMS Employees and also to stop the disastrous policy offensives unleashed by the authorities such as closure/merger of Post offices/RMS offices, outsourcing, contractorisation etc. we have already submitted a letter dated 01.04.2011 detailing the issues which are agitating the minds of the entirety of Postal/RMS employees including Gramin Dak Sevaks.
Accordingly, we hereby submit a Charter of Demands containing the items which are to be discussed and settled amicably, failing which we will be compelled to resort to agitational programmes as mentioned in our letter dated 01.04.2011.
With regards,
Yours faithfully,
M. Krishnan
Secretary General, NFPE
D. Theagarajan
Secretary General, FNPO
K. V. Sridharan
General Secretary, AIPEU Group ‘C’
D. Kishan Rao
General Secretary, NAPE Group ‘C’
Ishwar Singh Dabas
General Secretary
AIPEU -Postmen & MSE/Group ‘D’
T. N. Rahate
General Secretary
NAPE Postmen, MTS & Group ‘D’
Giriraj Singh
General Secretary
AIRMS & MMS EU Group ‘C’
D. Theagarajan
General Secretary
R-3, FNPO
P. Suresh
General Secretary
AIRMS & MMS EU MG & Group ‘D’
A. H. Siddique
General Secretary
R-4, FNPO
Pranab Bhattacharjee
General Secretary
AIPAOEU – NFPE
O.P.Khanna
General Secretary
AIPAOA(FNPO)
S. S. Mahadevaiah
General Secretary
AIPEDEU
P.U.Muralidharan
General Secretary
GDS – NUPE
T. Satyanarayanan
General Secretary
AIPAEA
H.L. RAMTEKE
General Secretary
AIPAOA
S. Appanraj
General Secretary
AIPSBCOEA
S. Sambandam
General Secretary
NASBCO
S. A. Raheem
General Secretary
AIPCWEA

IT MODERNIZATION PROJECT

India Post has an approved Plan Project with an outlay of R.1877.2 Crore for IT Modernization Project.

The project has following components:

i. Development of integrated modular scalable applications for mail, banking, Postal Life Insurance advanced financial services and ERP solutions for accounts and HR Operations of the Department.

ii. Provision of ICT devices in rural post offices with required applications for performing postal, banking, insurance, retail operations.

iii. Establishment of IT infrastructure of Data Centre and Disaster Recovery Centre and networking of all Post Offices including Branch Post Offices in the rural areas.

iv. Provision for training, change management, capacity building of the employees of the department along with setting up of the Project Management units of Department, Circle, region and Division levels for smooth and timely implementation of the project

(a) 100 Days Agenda finalized on January 01, 2011 included selection of vendors for the following solutions:-

1. Customer Interaction Management Solution
2. Mail Operation Solution
3. Human Resource Management Solution and Finance and Accounts Solution
4. Banking and Postal Life Insurance Solution
5. Change Management
6. Establishment of Data Centre
7. Rural ICT Service Integrator
8. Network Integrator

(b) Status of compliance

(i) Customer Interaction Management Solution

Objectives:

To enable 24x7 transactions for customers through web portal, call centres and ATMs.

Status:

Vendors have been shortlisted. RFP will be issued on April 15, 2011.

(ii) Mail Operations Solution
Objectives:
a) This will provide full article visibility across the supply of chain – from booking to delivery
b) It will help improve revenue generation through new services/products e.g., Logistics Post.
c) The solution will increase number of delivery channels for services/products, e.g. web portal and call centre.

Status:

Vendors have been shortlisted. RFP will be issued on April 15, 2011.

(iii) Enterprise-wide Human Resource Management Solution and Finance & Accounts Solution

Objective:

a) The solution would enable one single source of data across Department of Posts by online data capture and real time reconciliation
b) The solution would enable centralized payroll processing.
c) The solution would help the Department of Posts move from cash based to accrual based accounting system.
d) The Department Recruitment process would be streamlined.

Status:

Vendors have been shortlisted. RFP will be issued by April 15, 2011

(iv) Banking and Postal Life Insurance Solution:

Banking Solutions objectives

It will lead to Centralized processing of transactions/data, ATMs, Mobile Banking and Real time Banking. This will also enable e-commerce and web channels for customers.

Postal Life Insurance Solution objectives

a) It enables the complete insurance solution by eliminating delays and errors.
b) This will enable the interaction through multiple channels,
c) The solution would also enable safer and faster transactions including premium collection and disbursement.



Status:

RFP has been issued. Technical evaluation of Banking Solution will be completed by April 30, 2011.

(v) Change Management


Objective

Change Management for the India Post 2012 program will focus on effective management of change in technology and business process as a result of introduction of the IT solutions.

(vi) Establishment of Data Centre

Objective

Networking of all 1.55 lakh post offices

Status

RFP has been issued. Process of evaluation of bids is going on.
(vii) Rural ICT Service Integrator

Objective

To provide ICT services of Postal, Banking and Insurance in rural post offices

Status

RFP has been issued. Technical evaluation of bids will be completed by April 30, 2011.
(viii) Network Integrator

Status

RFP has been issued on April 06, 2011

II. COMPUTERIZATION OF 9,600 POST OFFICES

Orders have been placed for supply of computers to 9,600 post offices. Supply has commenced.

III. WHITE LABEL PRE-PAID CARDS
The Department is going to introduce White Label Pre paid cards in collaboration with banks.

Objective

The objective of launching this card is to leverage cash handling expertise and the network of India Post in order to facilitate non-cash based transactions for purchase of products and services at retail outlets across the country and to earn revenue through value added service.

This card will be magnetic strip based loaded with pre-determined amount in rupees and could be operated at merchant locations, ATMs and designated post offices.

Status

Department of Posts has got approval from the RBI. Partner banks are awaiting the approval from RBI.

IV. FLAT RATE BOXES

100 days agenda to introduce Pre-paid parcel boxes for domestic parcels for 1 Kg, 2.5 Kg and 5 Kg. The boxes will be sold through more than 800 post offices across the country.

V. PASSENGER RESERVATION SYSTEM (PRS) - 100 days Agenda

Railway Passenger Reservation System (PRS) to be provided through 71 more post offices (in addition to the existing 120 post offices) by March 31, 2011 to benefit people who are living away from Railway Booking Counters.

Status

Railway Passenger Reservation System has been provided to 12 more post offices.

VI. UP-GRADATION OF SPEED POST CENTERS - 100 days Agenda

17 more Speed Post centers to be equipped with handheld scanners and bar code readers to provide better track and trace facility to the customers.

Status

All 17 Speed Post centers have been up-graded.



VII. MICRO-INSURANCE POLICY – 100 days Agenda

To underwrite 45 lakh Micro-Insurance policies in Rural Areas.

Status

46.62 Lakh Micro-insurance policies have been underwritten in rural areas as on March 31, 2011.

SP/AS