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IT-major Infosys, which bagged the India Post contract last year to upgrade the department’s technology framework for financial services, is in its final stages of providing a software solution for a hand-held device to be used by the postal network. The device will help it deliver an array of financial products directly to the consumers even in the most remote areas.
The hand-held technology device to be used by the postman will ensure last-mile connectivity for banking transactions of India Post across its over 1.5 lakh branches. The country's second largest IT-services exporter has already developed the necessary software and is waiting for the hardware partner to be finalised, which will be decided by the Department of Posts.
Talking to FE, CN Raghupathi, head, India business unit, Infosys, said, “The idea is to make India Post a modern bank where the postman becomes a banking correspondent where he can do banking transactions with the hand-held device.”
Infosys bagged the multi-year deal from Department of Posts in August, 2012, valued at around R700 crore to bring about a technological transformation. Under the deal, Infosys will implement its core banking solution, Finacle and McCamish insurance product, which will connect 150,000 post offices and cover 200 million customers with India Post's Financial Services System Integration plan.
The ambitious India Post 2012 vision has certain key objectives such as modernisation and computerisation of all post offices, development of robust software systems, creating data centres and deployment of rural information communication technology infrastructure in over 1.3 lakh
Source : Financial Express
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Tuesday 3 September 2013
NEW DELHI: There are no uniform rules for female employees in government departments and organizations and they are treated by varying yardsticks when it comes to essential benefits like maternity and child care leave (CCL).
Dismayed after finding that maternity leave can vary from 90 to 135 days, a Parliamentary panel has suggested that all government departments and organizations should ensure 180 days of leave for their women employees
.
The panel found many organizations grant 90, 85 or 135 days of maternity leave. It has said child care leave (CCL) of 730 days must be granted with pay to women employees across the board in government.
The committee was also distressed by the low presence of women employees in Government organizations. "It is disheartening to observe that it is significantly low...10.04% as per the 2012 census of Central Government employees," the panel said. The representation is particularly poor in semi-urban and rural areas.
The Standing Committee on Law, Personnel and Public Grievances on the 'status of women in government employment and in public sector undertakings' was unhappy that while a majority of the organizations do grant CCL, but they do so without pay.
For example, Mahanandi Coalfields Ltd gives CCL to female employees working as executives but not for non-executive category. In Cochin Shipyard Ltd, CCL is not granted since there is no specific direction from the department of public enterprises.
The policy has been discontinued in Mormugao Port Trust even though CCL benefits have been extended to all civilian female industrial employees in government since September, 2008. But many women employees hesitate to avail the leave, if granted without pay.
Introduction of "flexible timings" for female employees, especially young mothers, so that organizations can retain talent has been mooted by the committee headed by Congress MP Shantaram Naik as the panel found household responsibilities as a major reason for attrition among women employees.
The government has been asked to explore the policy on "staggered working hours" or "work at home" for female employees. The panel was informed that the recommendation of Sixth Pay Commission regarding staggered working hours was not accepted by the Government.
Single women should be given postings closest to their hometown or places of their choice, the panel said. "It should be mandatorily ensured," it said, adding that this "pertinent factor" should be kept in mind during allocation of postings by department heads.
The provision for giving same station posting to couples may be given statutory backing, the panel recommended as it found the instruction is not always adhered to
.
Women employees who travel beyond office hours should be provided with security and proper transport by the employer in order to ensure their safety, the Committee said.
The panel also noted that action taken on complaints of sexual harassment at workplace is "not satisfactory". It felt merely transferring a delinquent employee to a different branch or station is inadequate and strict disciplinary action is needed. "The punishment has to be deterrent for prospective offenders," the panel said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com (o1 Sep,2013)
Cabinet is likely to approve GDS bonus ceiling for Rs.3500- in the ensuing meeting:
After clearance of the Department’s proposal of Rs.3500- bonus ceiling to GDS by the Ministry of Finance during 3rd week of August, the process for cabinet approval has started and a note has been submitted by the Department to the Min. of Finance to submit for further approval in the Cabinet meeting. It may be expected in the ensuing meeting of the Cabinet.
Comrades,
It is always an admitted fact that every time the GDS issues are resolved with the continuous efforts of NFPE & JCA and at times by Confederation, none can claim on their own or for their own. One can’t deny that the Committee (Shri Alok Saxena Committee) for reviewing the GDS bonus issue only after 12.12.12 one day strike. It is the issue of 2.7 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks and not limited to a section or a class which claims for their fancy. Information published or conversant to the members explicitly depends upon the context and source but not on the mere exposure. We are not interested to make it another issue to create confusion and things left to the diplomacy of the so called claimants.
However, all details will be published on receipt of the information obviously.
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Monday, September 2, 2013
ARBITRATION AWARDS- GOVT PROPOSED TO MOVE
RESOLUTIONS IN PARLIAMENT FOR REJECTION OF FIVE AWARDS.
COM. BASUDEV ACHARYA M.P. MOVES AMENDMENTS
TO THE GOVERNMENT RESOLUTIONS TO REFER BACK TO GOVERNMENT FOR RECONSIDERATION
OF THE PROPOSALS OF THE GOVERNMENT ON FOLLOWING AWARDS:
(1) Revised
HRA from 01.01.1996 to 31.07.1997
(2) Revised
Transport Allowance from 01.01.1996 to 31.07.1997
(3) Upgraded
pay scales to Senior Auditors /Senior Accounts from
01.01.1986.
(4) Revision
of Night Duty Allowance.
(5) Post
of Computer in Registrar General’s Office
=M.
Krishnan, Secretary General
LOKSABHA
ADJOURNED UPTO 2 P.M. TODAY (02.09.2013)
Pension Bill listed as item Number 2 . Perhaps the bill may be taken up today. Not sure. If intimation not received in time, the walkout and demonstration programme may be conducted ON THE NEXT DAY OF DAY ON WHICH THE BILL IS TAKEN UP FOR DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT as decided earlier by Confederation National Secretariat =M Krishnan S.G.
Post Offices for Women
The
objective for opening of all women post offices in the country is to
lay focus on women’s empowerment and to achieve Departments objectives
and mission to sustain its position as the largest postal network in the
world. It is an effort to integrate gender equality and women’s
empowerment for good governance by ensuring that women employees working
at various levels in the Department have a real voice in the decision
making of the Department as well as have a role in the management of
post offices in the country. The all women post offices are the post
office where all employees are women and they have been given the
responsibility of managing the events of the post offices. This is done
with a view to promote leadership and managerial qualities in women
employees of the Department. These post offices are opened in major cities and at present 34 all women post offices are functioning in the country.These
post offices are functioning within the postal network of the
Department in the country and not a separate set up of post offices.
Besides this, from customers’ perspective, Post Offices offer products and services like small savings, postal life insurance and other mail related products which are used by the common man. All Women Post Office offers a secured environment to our woman customers from all strata of society to transact postal business with a level of comfort and familiarity with women employees of the Department.
This information was given by Dr. Smt. Killi Kruparani, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Besides this, from customers’ perspective, Post Offices offer products and services like small savings, postal life insurance and other mail related products which are used by the common man. All Women Post Office offers a secured environment to our woman customers from all strata of society to transact postal business with a level of comfort and familiarity with women employees of the Department.
This information was given by Dr. Smt. Killi Kruparani, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Source : PIB
The Policies that failed {Editorial Postal Crusader September, 2013}
In the
year 1991 when the New Economic Policy or the Neo-liberal Economic Policy was
adopted by the then Narasimha Rao Government at the Centre with much fanfare,
it was repeatedly declared that it is a panacea for all the crisis faced by the
Indian economy and shall ensure rapid growth of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP). After 22 years, it is the very
same neo-liberal policies which is leading the country to an economic
disaster. The then Finance Minister Sri.
Manmohan Singh had brush aside the criticism and opposition of left parties and
trade unions and they became a target of concentrated attack by the supporters
of the neo-liberal policies. Inspite of
stiff resistance from all trade unions the Government went ahead with the
rigourous implementation of the anti-people, anti-labour policies of
Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (LPG).
While the
UPA Government desperately wooed foreign capital and handed out concessions to
big business and corporates, the plight of the people has been worsening
because of the economic slowdown, falling industrial production and high
inflation. The rupee has steadily
depreciated in value, with the exchange rate of the rupee to the dollar
breaching the Rs.68 mark last week. The
current account deficit (the gap between exports and imports and other
remittances) has reached an unsustainable level, there is rising external debt
with the bourgeoning short-term debt, posing immediate problem. This financial crisis is accompanied by high
inflation. The fact that the creation of
two India’s of the rich and the poor, with the gap between them widening
alarmingly, is a reality that stares us every moment.
The first
UPA Government was not allowed to implement the reforms in the financial
sector, pension sector and retail sector etc. by the left parties who supported
the Government. It prevented the passing
of PFRDA Bill by threatening to withdraw support to the Government. The second UPA Government without the left
support, started rigourous implementation of the reforms in all sectors. All barriers for the inflow of foreign
capital to the country was removed and the cap of Foreign Direct investment
(FDI) in banking, insurance, pension, retail, defence, telecom etc. are either
enhanced or removed. Large scale
disinvestment of public sector has become the order of the day. Deregulation of petrol pricing has resulted
in everincreasing prices of petrol and diesel fuelling inflation which resulted
in the increased burden of price rise for the people. Onions,vegetables and all other necessities
of life are becoming out of reach of the people. The other outcome of the economic slowdown is
the loss of jobs in the industrial and services sectors and rising
unemployment.
The UPA
Government is seeking to overcome this crisis by attracting more foreign
capital and giving more concessions to the multinational companies (MNCs) and
Indian big business. The growing
dependence on foreign capital flows and FDI has worsened the situation further
and the entire exercise has proved futile.
The bulk of the capital flows out of the country is from equity, debt
markets and Foreign Institutional Investments (FIIs), which the Government
cannot control. The neo-liberal policies
of the Manmohan Singh Government and the boosting of the economy through
Foreign Capital inflows have now come to roost.
During the
last three years at least, the tax concessions provided to the corporartes and
the rich amount to, according to budget papers, to over five lakhs crores every
year. Despite such “incentives”, the
overall growth of the industrial production was minus 1.6 per cent in May
2013. If, instead, these legitimate
taxes were collected and used for public investments to build over much needed
infrastructure, this would have generated large-scale employment. This, inturn, would increase the purchasing
power of the people and vastly enlarge domestic demand. This would lay the basis for a turn around in
manufacturing and industrial production and put the economy on a more
sustainable and relatively pro-people growth tragectory.
What the
country needs is an alternative pro-people policies. Such an alternative can be brought about
through the intensification of popular struggle of the people and working class
in the coming months.
CONFEDERATION CIRCULAR
Circular No. 3/2013
Dated – 29.08.2013
To
All CHQ office Bearers, Confederation
All General Secretaries C-O-Cs
All General Secretaries/Secretary Generals of affiliated Unions
Dear Comrade,
1. Agenda of the next National Council JCM has been finalized on 27.08.2013
in consultation with DOP&T. Twelve demands raised by the
Confederation in the Charter of demands are included (including the GDS
employees demand). The letter given by Com. Umraomal Purohit, Secretary,
Staff Side, JCM National Council and twelve demands included in the
agenda are enclosed herewith. (Annexure I & II) Next meeting of the
National Council JCM is expected by the end of October 2013/early
November 2013.
2. The controversial PFRDA bill is
listed as an agenda items of the current Parliament session. National
Secretariat of the Confederation has given a call for two-hours walk out
and protest demonstrations when the bill is taken up for discussion in
Parliament or on the next day if information is received late.
3. GET READY FOR INDEFINITE STRIKE, MAKE THE STRIKE BALLOT A GRAND SUCCESS
As already mentioned in the
previous circular the following campaign programmes shall be implemented
in all states demanding realisation of the 15 Point Charter.
(a) Mass Relay Dharna at all important places and State/District Head Quarters from 2nd to 7th September 2013.
(b) Holding
of state conventions of C-O-Cs and Central Working Commitees/Central
Executive Committees of all affiliated
Unions/Associations/Federations.
(c) Strike ballot from 25th to 27th September 2013.
A copy of the appeal for strike
ballot and model ballot is enclosed herewith (Annexure III & IV). It
may be translated into local languages. Each official should be given
an appeal well in advance so that they can take an independent decision
before the polling dates. 15 Point Charter may be permitted in the
appeal.
On the polling day (25th, 26th & 27th September
2013) ballot boxes should be placed at the premises of offices or at a
centralized place (polling booths) as per convenience. Employees may be
allowed to vote freely and frankly by ticking “Yes” or “No” in the
ballot. It will be a secret ballot. After ticking “Yes” or “No”, the
ballot may be put in the ballot box. After polling is over leaders shall
count the ballot.
The ballots in favour of
indefinite strike (Yes) and against indefinite strike (No) may be
counted separately and total figure arrived at may be communicated by
the respective C-O-Cs or organizations as the case may be, to the
Confederation Head quarters by e-mail or SMS.
Before the poling date intensive
campaign should be conducted by all C-O-Cs and affiliates at all places
and each and every employee may be contacted and requested to cast
his/her vote.
4. All India Trade Union Education Camp:
The Trade Union Education Camp will be held at Mumbai on 15th & 16th November
2013. The number of delegates to be participated from each C-O-C and
affiliated Unions / Associations / Federations will be intimated before
September 1st Week. The camp is being hosted by C-O-C Mumbai.
Delegate fee is Rs. 600/- per head. NFPE, ITEF, Audit & Accounts
Associations and Atomic Energy delegates shall be arranged accommodation
by their respective Federations.
5. All India Women’s Convention
The All India Women’s Convention of the Confederation will be held at New Delhi on 25th & 26th November
2013. Lady Delegates from all C-O-Cs and affiliated
Unions/Associations/Federations should participate in the Convention.
Number of women delegates to be participated from each C-O-C and
affiliated Unions/Associations/Federations will be intimated by first
week of September 2013. The Convention is being hosted by C-O-C Delhi.
Delegate fee is Rs. 600/- per head.
6. Formation of C-O-Cs at State and District level
As we are heading towards an
indefinite strike, we have to gear up our organsiational machinery at
all levels. Wherever state level C-O-Cs are defunct or ineffective it
should be revived immediately. Where ever District Committee is not
formed the major affiliates should take immediate action for preparing
their rank and file for the indefinite strike. Circulars, bulletins,
posters, boards, banners etc. may be issued and circulated widely among
the employees. Don’t wait for the last Minute, Be prepared well in
advance.
Fraternally yours,
(M. Krishnan)
Secretary General
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