ACCEPT AND ACKNOWLEDGE

Department of Expenditure (Finance Ministry) has issued fresh instructions on 16-10-2015 to all banks to accept the Life Certificates from pensioners at any of their branches in India and issue an acknowledgement receipt to the pensioners. [Copy of the order is available in IMPORTANT ORDERS of this Website.]

SUCCESSFUL KERALA CIRCLE CONFERENCE

The third biennial Circle conference of Kerala was held very successfully and brilliantly at Calicut (Kozhikode) on October20, 2015. 497 Delegates from all the eleven SSA units attended the meeting.Com. P S Ramankutty (President), Com. A P Saraswathy (VP), Com. G Natarajan (General Secretary) and Com. S Gunasekaran (Treasurer) representing the CHQ attended and addressed the conference.Com. Natarajan inaugurated the conference.Shri N K Sukumaran, GMT, Calicut greeted the delegates in addition to leaders of SNEA, AIBSNLEA, NFTE-BSNL, NUBSNLW, BTEU and veteran leaders like S/s M K Beeran, K S Venugopal and T V Balan.

Com. R N Pada Nair is elected as President.Com. T P George is the new Circle Secretary. Com. (Smt) N Shancy is re-elected as Treasurer of the Circle Association unanimously.

S/s T V Balan, R N Pada Nair(CS), P K Gopala Pillai (Circle President), P S Ramankutty (AI President), N K Sukumaran(GMT), S Gunasekaran and Smt A P Saraswathy (AI Vice President) are seen on the front row, sitting.

A view of the delegates attending Kerala circle conference; 20-10-2015

A section of Delegates in Kerala Conference at Calicut on 20-10-2015

Another view of the Delegates in Kerala conference on 20-10-2015 at Calicut

Negotiation between the Management and Staff Unions in LIC on pay revision is in progress. An Agreement is expected soon. One demand under active considerations is about Cash Medical Benefit should be raised to Rs 25000 per year to all employees.

But, Pension revision is not a topic in the talks.

The retirees are paid pension by LIC from its own fund. Unions have not demanded Pension Revision this time too.

78.2% case is unnecessarily delayed.There is no reason to delay this case.The benefit was given to serving staff 28 months ago.

The Cabinet Note was prepared long back.It was sent to the four nodal ministries for their concurrence.Three ministries have approved it.Only the Ministry of Finance wanted some data.Data was already prepared by Internal Finance Wing of DoT. It was sent to Establishment section.Now, they have sent it back to Finance!!. Even after these exercises undergoing for months and months, DoT could not supply the data to Finance Ministry.

Why this delay?

During the discussion we had with him, in first week of August2015,the Chairman of Telecom Commission gave an impression, that the Cabinet Note would be sent to the Cabinet soon.But, it is not yet done.

Our branches all over the country should record their emphatic protest against this

Unwanted,

Undue,

Unnecessary delay on the part of Department of Telecom.

ORGANISE PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS AT SSA HEAD QUARTERS ON 5-11-2015. SEND A MEMORANDUM TO THE HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER INVITING HIS ATTENTION TO THE ISSUE. THE FORMAT OF MEMORANDUM IS SENT TO ALL BY CHQ ALONG WITH CIRCULAR No 22.

[At some places the elections may take place on the day. In such cases, the date can be adjusted according to local conditions. But, do not delay it much. ]

We are happy to announce formation of a new Circle Unit of our Association in Kolkata Telephone District Circle in a meeting held on 14, October 2015.

Following are elected as office-bearers of the ad-hoc body:

President: Com. Kalyan Chakraborty

Vice President: Com. Sushil Kumar Halder

Vice President : Com. Gora Chandra Halder

Circle Secretary: Com. N N Goswami

Asst. Circle Secretary: Com. Nirmal Chakraborty

Asst. Circle Secretary: Com. Pradip Kumar Bose

Treasurer: Com. Dulal Chandra Dey

CHQ welcomes the new Circle Unit.

The Finance Ministry has issued orders today granting ad-hoc bonus (Non Productivity Bonus) to all central government employees, not covered by any PLB scheme. One employee will get 30 days pay as the ad-hoc bonus. For calculating the bonus the pay shall be taken as Rs 3500.00 p.m.

In other words, every employee will get a sum of Rs 3454.00 as ad-hoc bonus, no matter the department/institution earns any profit or not.

Unfortunately, this order is also not applicable to BSNL staff.

The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare has issued a fresh order reiterating that they should be consulted in all cases, involving a policy, before filing an appeal against a court order or before implementing the court order.

The Central Trade Unions, barring BMS, organised a general strike on 2-9-2015. Before that, the Government had some negotiations with the TU leaders. Government assured then that it would consider favourably the demand for raising ceilings for grant of Bonus. The calculation ceiling was Rs 3500. It would be raised to Rs 7000.

But, when the orders were issued for grant of bonus to Railway workers etc. the old ceiling of Rs 3500 is retained.

Now, it is understood that the Government will announce raising the calculation ceiling limit from Rs 3500 to Rs 7000. The announcement will be made after Bihar elections are over.

The File on 78.2% case has moved from DDG (Est.) to Member (Service) and then from Member(S) to Member(Finance). Further movement will be ascertained next week.

… R L Kapoor, New Delhi

Today, on 9^th October 2015, about 60 BSNL pensioners of Belgaum district in Karnataka circle have joined our Association.

Com. G A Majali, Com. G B Kittur and Com. M K Waingade are elected as the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the new unit. CHQ welcome the new members.

Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has issued orders enhancing rate IDA from 1-10-2015. The orders are given in the page: DA

For those who got pension revision with effect from 1-1-2007, the new rate of IDA from October 2015 is 107.9%. We have already calculated and informed this earlier.

For those who got pension revision with effect from 1-1-1997, the new rate of IDA from 1-10-2015 is 251%.

The pension anomaly case filed by our Association is again postponed to Third December 2015. The government advocate wanted time again to file some reply on behalf of Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Finance and Department of Expenditure. This is a usual game of government advocates to delay the case in court of law.

The principal bench of CAT posted the case to 3-12-2015.

The Cabinet has approved PLB to Railway staff. An employee will get his/her 78 days wages as Productivity Linked Bonus. But, the Wage Calculation Ceiling for payment of PLB is the same Rs 3500.00. There is no change even though there was some report about hiking this limit. A Railway employees will get Rs 8975.00 as PLi

[ PLB FOR TELECOM WORKERS?

THERE IS NO BONUS THIS YEAR TOO.....

United Forum staged demonstration on 6-10-2015 demanding adhoc Bonus.]

The Indian Bank Association is introducing a new mediclaim scheme for the existing retired bank employees at par with serving staff. It is proposed to take affect from 1-11-2015.

The annual premium to be paid by the retired officer is Rs 6573.00 plus service tax to get medical coverage up to Rs 4 lacs per year. Workmen and sub staff have to pay Rs 4930 plus service tax to get coverage of Rupees three lacs per year.

[Director HR of BSNL had indicated that the company is preparing a new scheme for medical claims for the BSNL staff and pensioners. A Committee is being constituted to review the Medical policy in BSNL. Against this background, the scheme for bank pensioners attains some significance.]

AP CIRCLE HELD ITS CEC MEETING WAS HELD AT TIRUPATHI IN A GRAND MANNER. CIRCLE PRESIDENT M.R.S. PRAKASA RAO PRESIDED. DISCUSSIONS WERE MAINLY AROUND THE DELAY ID GETTING THE 78.2% IDA BENEFIT. COMS G.NATARAJAN AND S.GUNASEKARAN PARTICIPATED AND EXPLAINED THE ISSUES. CIRCLE ISUES WERE REPLIED BY COM K.S.K RAO CIRCLE SECRETARY. AN OPEN SESSION WAS HELD IN WHICH G.M.BSNL TIRUPATHI AND SSPO PARTICIPATED. WE CONGRATULATE TIRUPATHI DISTRICT COMRADES FOR THE EXCELLENT ARRANGEMENTS THOUGH THEY ARE A SMALL DISTRICT.

Despite repeated instructions, many circle offices of BSNL do not process the pension cases of staff.

Some circles forward the cases to CCAs without some documents. Smt. Sujata T Ray, new Director (HR) of BSNL Board, after taking over charge recently, is issuing instructions again and again to circles. She is very much concerned of pensioners. But the Circles do not change their habit. Director should take stringent action against those who do not comply the instructions from Corporate Office.

The latest letter from Director (HR) is given in the page: "Important Orders".

We are reproducing hereunder a news item appeared in NDTV. Even before the 7th Pay Commission finalises its report, the Finance Ministry has asked the CPC to consider the "concerns of the Government". Viewers can understand the impact of these informal instructions/guidelines.

NEWS ITEM

" New Delhi: Finance Ministry on Monday said the Seventh Pay Commission will be mindful of the fiscal concerns of the government while giving its report on new pay scales and remunerations for central government employees and pensioners.

The Commission, headed by Justice A K Mathur, has been given time up to December 2015 to submit its report on revising emoluments of nearly 48 lakh central government employees and 55 lakh pensioners.

“We have communicated our concerns with regard to sustainability of public expenditure to Pay Commission. I am sure the members and chairman of the commission are aware of and will be sensitive to our concerns,” Finance Secretary Ratan Watal told reporters here. The Commission has time till December to submit its report, he said, adding thereafter it would be scrutinised by a secretariat to be set up in the Finance Ministry.

Mr Watal said although the recommendations would be implemented from January 1, 2016, the burden on the exchequer would not be much in the current financial year. However, he added, it would have implications in next fiscal....."

A NEW DISTRICT BRANCH AT HAJIPUR IS FORMED IN BIHAR CIRCLE ON 27-9-15 WITH

COM R.L.P.SINGH AS PRESIDENT AND COM GAUTAM RAI AS DISTRICT SECRETARY

WE CONGRATULATE THE NEW OFFICE BEARERS AND

COM A.K.SINGH CIRCLE SECRETARY BIHAR CIRCLE.

"Mahatma Gandhi came and stood at the door of India's destitute millions, clad as one of themselves, speaking to them in their own language...who else has so unreservedly accepted the vast masses of the Indian people as his flesh and blood...Truth awakened Truth.” ---- Rabindranath Tagore

“Great men and eminent men have monuments in bronze and marble set up for them, but this man of divine fire managed in his life-time to become enmeshed in millions and millions of hearts……..He lives in the hearts of millions of and he will live for immortal ages.” --- Jawaharlal Nehru