The Interest rates for Deposits is again lowered by 0.1% from 1st July 17

ஜூலை முதல் வட்டி விகிதம் மீண்டும் 0.1% குறைப்பு

Saturday 17 December 2016

FNPO - ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்

தேசிய சங்கம் கடைபிடிக்கும் எதிர்ப்பு வாரத்தின் மாநில அளவிலான பெருந்திரள் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் தமிழ் மாநில FNPO ஒருங்கிணைப்பு குழு சார்பாக 16.12.2016 அன்று சென்னை அண்ணா சாலை தலைமை அஞ்சலகம் முன்பு  நடைபெற்றது. 
ஆர்ப்பாட்ட புகைப்படங்கள் இதோ: 
 


Friday 16 December 2016

Letter to the Hon PM by FNPO & its Affiliated Unions

LETTER TO THE HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA BY FNPO AND ITS AFFILIATED UNIONS / ASSOCIATIONS.
To
Shri Narendra Modiji,
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India,
South Block,
Raisina Hill,
New Delhi-l10011

 Respected Sir,

We, the Federation of National Postal Organisation and its affiliated unions submit this letter to express our deep concern and request to honour the commitment given by the Group of Ministers in the meetings held with JCM (Staff Side) leaders on 30th June 2016 & 06th July 2016.

Subsequently, an assurance was given that a High-Level Committee will examine the 7th CPC issues, mainly the Minimum Wage and Multiplying Factor. Based on the assurance, the JCM Constituent deferred the Strike action on 06th July 2016.

Though a Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Addl. Secretary (Exp), Ministry of Finance and discussions held, the response has been disappointing.

The employees of the Postal and other Central Government employees are greatly disappointed over the non-settlement of the main issues.

More so, many of the recommendations of the 7th CPC have created unrest in the minds of Central government employees in general and Postal employees in particular.

The issues raised after the implementation of 7th CPC & other long pending issues are enclosed.

We request your kind attention to the issues listed in the enclosure and action thereof at the earliest.
 
Thanking you, sir,
Yours Sincerely,

S-d 
THE ISSUES RAISED AFTER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 7TH CPC & OTHER LONG PENDING ISSUES
 
 1. Request to Settle the demands raised by NJCA regarding modifications of 7th CPC recommendations as submitted in the memorandum to Cabinet Secretary on 10th December 2015. Honour the assurance given by the Group of Ministers to NJCA on 30th June 2016 and 6th July 2016, especially the increase in minimum wage and fitment factor. Grant revised HRA, at the existing percentage itself, i.e. 30%, 20% and 10%. Accept the proposal of the staff side regarding Transport Allowance. Settle all anomalies arising out of the implementation of 7th CPC recommendations, in a time bound manner.
 2. Request to Implement option-I recommended by 7th CPC and accepted by the Government regarding parity in pension of pre-2016 pensioners, without any further delay. Settle the pension related issues raised by NJCA against item 13 of its memorandum submitted to Cabinet Secretary on 10th December 2015.
 3. Request to Scrap PFRDA Act and New Pension System (NPS) and grant pensions and Family Pension to all Central Government employees recruited after 01.01.2004, under CCS (Pension) Rules 1972.
 4. Request to Treat Gramin Dak Sewaks of Postal department as Civil Servants, and extend all benefits like pay, pension, allowances etc. of departmental employees to GDS.
 5.Request to Regularise all casual, contract, part-time, contingent and Daily rated mazdoors and grant equal pay and other benefits. Revise the wages as per 7th CPC minimum pay
6. Request to avoid Downsizing, Privatisation, outsourcing and contractorisation of Government functions.
7. Request to Withdraw the arbitrary decision of the Government to enhance the benchmark for performance appraisal for promotion and financial upgradations under MACP from “GOOD” to VERY GOOD” and also decided to withhold annual increments in the case of those employees who are not able to meet the bench march either for MACP or for regular promotion within the first 20 years of service. Grant MACP pay fixation benefits on promotional hierarchy and not on pay-matrix hierarchy. Personnel promoted on the basis of examination should be treated as a fresh entrance to the cadre for grant of the MACP.
8. Request to Withdraw the draconian FR 56 (J) and Rule 48 of CCs (Pension) Rules 1972 which is being misused as a shortcut as a purity measure to punish and victimize the employees.
9. Request to Fill up all vacant posts, including promotional posts in a time bound manner. Lift ban on creation of posts.
10. Request to remove 5% ceiling on compassionate appointments and grant appointment in all deserving cases.
11. Request for Grant five promotions in the service career to all Central Govt. Employees..
12. Request to Reject the stipulation of 7th CPC to reduce the salary to 80% for the second year of Child Care leave and retain the existing provision.
13. Request for Ensure cashless medical treatment to all Central Government employees & Pensioners in all recognized Government and Private hospitals.
14. Request to Revision of Overtime Allowance (OTA) and Outstation allowance (OSA) w.e.f 01.01.2016 based on 7th CPC pay scale.
15. Request to Revision of wages of Central Government employees in every five years. 16. Request to Revive JCM functioning at all levels.

RBI Imposes Restrictions On Withdrawal From Certain Bank Accounts

The Reserve Bank imposed certain restrictions on withdrawal if more than Rs 2 lakh has been deposited after November 9 in an account which has a balance of over Rs 5 lakh.

 Mumbai: Tightening the noose around people who misused banking channels to park unaccounted money, the Reserve Bank on Thursday imposed certain restrictions on withdrawal if more than Rs 2 lakh has been deposited after November 9 in an account which has a balance of over Rs 5 lakh.

As per a RBI notification, withdrawal or transfer of funds will not be permitted in accounts without quoting of PAN or submission of Form 60 (persons who do not have PAN).

The Reserve Bank also said monthly withdrawal limit of Rs 10,000 will be maintained even if a 'small account' has witnessed increase in annual permissible deposit of Rs 1 lakh.

The notification follows after it was brought to the notice of the RBI that "strict compliance" with KYC (Know Your Customer) provisions is not being ensured in some cases.

In respect of KYC compliant accounts where the required Customer Due Diligence (CDD) procedure has been complied with, RBI said banks and NBFCs should ensure compliance regarding quoting of PAN/obtaining of Form 60 for all transactions.

"No debit transaction, transfer or otherwise shall be allowed in accounts which do not comply with the above mentioned requirements.

"To begin with, this rule shall be strictly applied in accounts where both the thresholds listed -- (i) balance of rupees five lakh or more; and (ii) the total deposits (including credits by electronic or other means) made after November 9, 2016, exceed rupees two lakh," RBI said.

RBI further said if any account is rendered ineligible for being classified as a small account due to credits/balance in the account exceeding the permissible limits, withdrawals may be allowed within the limit prescribed for small accounts.

The monthly limit for withdrawal and transfer from a small account is Rs 10,000. Also, aggregate of all credits in a financial year cannot exceed Rs 1 lakh.

Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (Jan Dhan accounts are akin to BSBDAs), which are not KYC compliant accounts are to be treated as 'small accounts', the RBI added.

Government demonetised old Rs 500/1000 from November 9.

Earlier, RBI had asked banks to strictly follow norms while allowing deposits in dormant accounts.

There have been reports some people misused Jan Dhan and dormant accounts to deposit unaccounted money following demonetisation.

There is No Magical On-Off Switch to transform Into a Cashless Economy.

There is No Magical On-Off Switch That Will Allow India to Transform Into a Cashless Economy

India falls well short of the pre-requisites needed to become a digital economy.

he demonetisation step of the Modi government, for the most part, appears to be hugely problematic. Several expert commentators – including Ajay Shah, Prabhat Patnaik, Swaminathan Aiyer, Manmohan Singh and several others – have pointed out that given the high dependence on cash transactions in the Indian economy, the resulting liquidity crunch, the diminished purchasing power and the reduced ability to transact is likely to badly hurt the macroeconomy and the damage to the informal sector – especially to small firms and retailers – is likely to be severe and permanent. Also, being saddled with cash and unable to invest due to a lack of economic activity, the banking sector may face a crisis. Ultimately, the poor and the underprivileged will likely be the worst hit – as they usually are.
Given that 86% of the currency was wiped out overnight, it seems unlikely that the RBI can systematically pump money into the economy soon enough to mitigate the problem. We will have to wait and see how the events will unfold and how soon the economy can recover, but it will be naive to assume that the demonetisation step will eradicate the deep rooted corruption and the black money problem forever.
Given the likely negative impact, demonetisation is perhaps not even in the feasible space of solutions as far as combating black money is concerned, so a cost-benefit analysis is somewhat infructuous.
Towards a cashless economy?
The issue of black money – the money on which due tax has not been paid – is undoubtedly a huge problem. Not only are the estimates scary, the overall moral degradation and cynicism that comes with financial corruption also has damaging implications.
So, if not demonetisation, what may be the solution? The erstwhile governor of the RBI has suggested stricter tax administration, whereas several voices in the government (for example, see here, here and here) and some others are clamouring for a cashless economy.
Perhaps they all mean the same thing, because what else but electronic monitoring and real-time auditing can bring in the necessary efficiency in tax administration? The anonymity of cash makes it convenient to hide transactions from the tax authorities, and, given the widespread corruption in the country, no manual audit can possibly be sufficient. The complaints can always be suppressed without tamper-proof records and the powerful can always favour the other powerful. Going cashless can definitely widen the tax base and contain the parallel economy; it can also encourage conversion of savings into consumption or investments by reducing idle assets, giving an overall boost to the economy.
But can we really go the Swedish way? Is it even desirable? The issue is far from resolved (for example, see here and here).
Are we ready?
About 68% of transactions in India are cash-based. Hence, despite some progress, and the enormous possibilities that the penetration of mobile network in rural India offers, we may still be far from ready. In fact, India falls well short of the pre-requisites specified in a 2013 report of MasterCard and ranks pretty low in their readiness score.
Also, apart from the consideration that the digital infrastructure is inadequate, even the desirability of a cashless economy in rural India, from a socio-economic point of view, has to be carefully examined. Although it is undeniable that the big ticket transactions of the formal sectors, the election spending of political parties, real estate etc. must come under the ambit of electronic auditing to the extent possible and also perhaps data mining to detect anomalies and irregularities in patterns of spending, one has to be extremely careful about the informal sector and the rural economy.
While most of the latter are outside the tax net, the majority of the transactions here are legitimate and honest, and payments are usually made against genuine goods or services. Bringing them into the formal sector should be done slowly and with utmost care and planning so as not to cause exclusions and distress. Running part of the economy cashless and part of it cash based, without furthering segregation and inequality, will require considerable tact in public policy design and execution, and adequate time and planning have to be given for the complex process of behavioural adaptation. If the Aadhaar experience is anything to go by, extreme care has to be exercised in order to avoid large-scale exclusions due to a disruptive introduction of technology. The potential of a cashless economy to cause havoc among the poor, the old and the infirm and the underprivileged, is enormous.
Privacy and security
The potential loss of privacy is an obvious concern that comes with a cashless economy. Possibilities of personal surveillance and electronic snooping as well as profiling without consent have been pointed out by many (for example, see here and here). A cashless society can potentially give the government of the day unprecedented access to information and power over the citizens and would require strong technical and legal frameworks to protect against misuse of power. The problem is compounded by the fact that data protection laws and public policies often lag way behind technology anywhere in the world (see, for example, here, here and here). In India, privacy is not a major concern and there is a lack of privacy or data protection laws.
The Attorney General of India has even claimed before the Supreme Court that Indian citizens have no constitutional right to privacy. Given the situation, the spectre of a cashless economy is scary indeed. Most of us do need the comfort of anonymity that cash provides, even while carrying out legitimate and harmless businesses. It will require a fair amount of informed debate before the privacy rights of citizens can be properly worked out, and it will definitely be premature to consider going cashless before that can happen. The government needs to clearly spell out the technical standards and the legal measures required to ensure the protection of privacy of its citizens, even from itself. The possibility of electronic mass surveillance on all monetary transactions does not augur well for civil liberty and democracy.
Security is yet another poorly understood issue. For example, cashless transactions presuppose that users have a working knowledge of public key certificate (among several other things), a crucial component for protecting passwords and credentials from getting compromised through man-in-the-middle attacks, but this is not usually true. Given this unfortunate situation, they may easily lose control of their bank accounts or electronic wallets in case of determined cyber attacks. Clearly, the government has to worry about user education and familiarisation in a big way and needs to work out the public policies and legal frameworks that may have to be invoked to give quick comfort and grievance redressal to its citizens who may lose their hard earned money because of ordinary ignorance. This is obviously not a mean task given the complex demography, and the problem is bound to get compounded as we move further towards cashless. Fiercely protecting our cash is a skill that we learn from our early childhood and is one that suits us naturally, and the skill may have to be completely re-learnt if and when we go cashless – which is not comforting. Besides, the government also has to define security standards for the back end infrastructure and make it as transparent to its citizens as possible. It also has to explain to its citizens why it expects their banks and wallets to be safe. So far it has failed to do so and we remain unaware of the data protection standards followed by the retail banks, Paytm or Airtel money.
Citizen’s rights
Most fundamentally, we need to know our rights as citizens. The government has reneged on the solemn averment of “I promise to pay the bearer a sum of…” written in bold on the cash that we carried. It was the understanding of most of us from childhood that the statement was a legal contract between us and the government, and we implicitly assumed that there was no last date of use. So, if some of us return from abroad or wake up from amnesia in 2017, we may suddenly find that we misunderstood the statement completely and we are holding on to some useless pieces of paper.
What will be the corresponding promise for the digital money in our accounts or electronic wallets? Can they also disappear with such impunity?
Also, we need to consider what will happen if we have money in our banks and the will of our heart to procure some goods or services, but fail to do so because of technology failure. Will such transactions be denied to the poor or the elderly even in an emergency? If not, then how will such transactions be recorded? What will happen if there is a prolonged service disruption, perhaps due to a disaster? Will it result in us returning to primitive forms of bartering?
Can we be denied cashless facilities like wallets or credit cards? Can our transactions be censored? In the absence of any privacy law, there is no transparency regarding the kind of data mining or profiling that is carried out, for example by banks and credit card providers, on our transaction data. In fact, an article in the Financial Times proclaims MasterCard and Visa’s business model as a well-protected oligopoly. This is problematic, because if some such entity suddenly decides that some of us do not deserve a facility or are not credit worthy, we will definitely need a quick and efficient grievance redressal mechanism.
All of the above can potentially increase the inequality to dangerous levels if not done with a great deal of thoughtfulness and care. We definitely cannot afford to be flippant about migration to a cashless economy.

Subhashis Banerjee is a professor in the department of Computer Science at IIT Delhi.
Sorce : The wire.

Aadhaar seeding is not mandatory for release of pension

There is, at present, no proposal to make Aadhaar seeding mandatory for release of pension to the Central Government pensioners.
Eighty-seven percent of Central Government pensioners of all age categories have seeded their bank accounts with Aadhaar number. The remaining thirteen percent, including those Government pensioners of the age of 80 and 90 years have not yet seeded their bank accounts with Aadhaar number. The Government has made efforts to seed accounts of all Central Government pensioners with Aadhaar numbers so as to enable them to benefit from the additional facility of submission of Digital Life Certificate. Public Sector Banks are authorised to enroll pensioners for issue of Aadhaar number, including old and infirm pensioners.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question by Shri Natubhai Gomanbhai Patel in the Lok Sabha today.

Source:-PIB

CAT Cases on Service matters - Clarification

Court orders against Government of India instructions on service matters - consultation with Ministry of Law and Department of Personnel and Training on question of filing appeals 
Click here to view

Wednesday 14 December 2016

Can only love for our postman ensure success for India Post Payments Bank?

The key to the success of India Post Payments Bank will be its business plan and if that’s in place, technology
People have been waiting eagerly for the launch of the India Post Payments Bank or IPPB, the largest among the eight that are likely to start operations over the next few months. Eleven entities received the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) in-principle approval for floating payments banks but three of them have left the field.
Originally, the department of posts, or DoP, which has been running the post office savings bank, wanted to set up a universal bank. It had even applied for a licence. The proposal was discussed at the Public Investment Board, which examines the investment plans of various ministries worth at least Rs100 crore, and it advised DoP to set up a “differentiated bank”. 
Accordingly, DoP applied to RBI, seeking a licence for a payments bank and got an in-principle approval on 7 September 2015. The bank has to be made operational by March 2017 but it seems the government wants it to be launched in January. This makes eminent sense in the wake of the demonetization drive— India’s financial sector is witnessing turbulence and the payments space is waiting to be grabbed with new ideas and innovations to give a big push to a cash-less economy.

Demonetisation Will Likely Lead to a Protracted Economic Slowdown

The impact of the contractionary demand shock triggered by the note ban will gradually radiate from cash-intensive activities to virtually every sector of the economy.

In most emerging economies, an important driver of GDP growth is investment demand. In India, private sector investment has been sluggish for consecutive quarters over the last two years. The principal driver of GDP growth in India in recent times has been private consumption demand, which contributes 60% to the GDP.
The announcement by the government on November 8 to ban the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes is a monetary contraction that will translate into a massive negative shock for consumption demand. As more and more firms start feeling the pressure of declining demand, investment will get adversely affected. The combination of a slowdown in consumption and investment may result in a fall in GDP growth rate lasting beyond two quarters.
GDP growth rate was estimated at 7.3% in the July-September quarter of 2016-17. The marginal increase from 7.1% in the April-June quarter was primarily driven by agriculture, construction and the services sector. Ironically, these sectors are now likely to bear the brunt of the currency-ban shock. Year-on-year manufacturing growth rate has declined from 9.1% in the previous quarter to 7.1%. In the July-September quarter investment demand contracted by 5.6%, resulting in a large negative contribution to the GDP.
In general, private sector activity in the economy has been weak in the recent quarters. The state of the economy prior to the announcement of the currency ban is essential because it highlights the structural weaknesses in the economy that may worsen as a result of this shock and aggravate the economic slowdown.

7th Pay Commission: Salary hike to Central government employees not reflecting in GDP data

The April-September 2016 GDP data suggests pay hike to Central government staff did not give consumption boost.
Update on November 30, 2016
The quarterly gross value added (GVA) at basic price at constant (2011-12) prices for Q2 of 2016-17 was estimated at Rs 27.33 lakh crore, as against Rs 25.52 lakh crore in Q2 of 2015-16, translating into a growth rate of 7.1 percent over the corresponding quarter of previous year, according to statistics released by the Central government on Wednesday at around 5.30 pm.
It's a tad unbelievable that an outgo of about Rs 34,600 crore during the July-September quarter (Q2) on account of salary arrears and enhanced pay to Central government employees did not boost the Indian economy in terms of higher consumption.
On Monday (November 28), the Modi government said the GDP growth rate for the April-September 2016 was 7.1 percent; when seen in the context of 7.1 percent expansion in Q1, it seems things more or less remained unchanged.

7th Pay Commission: Central government employees enthused after RBI chief Urjit Patel's comment

Millions of Central government employees are awaiting news about the increase in allowances as proposed by the 7th Pay Commission. 

Central government employees are seeing a ray of hope with regard to hike in allowances after RBI Governor Urjit Patel's comment during the post-monetary policy review meeting on December 7, 2016. While the Narendra Modi government has implemented the salary hike as recommended by the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC), the decision on allowances is pending. 

After the second meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) last week, Patel said that the payment of arrears and higher salaries did not adversely affect inflation, as was generally expected. 

"The disbursement of salaries and arrears under the 7th Pay Commission award has not been disruptive to inflation outcomes," he said. A report by India Ratings had estimated the amount as Rs 34,600 crore.The subsequent response on the allowances part revealed that the delay in implementation would spread the impact on the government's finances over two financial years. 

"The extension of two months given to the Ministry of Finance to receive the notification on higher allowances under the Commission's award could push its fuller effect into the next financial year rather than this financial year," Patel said. 

Launching/Introduction of New Recruitment Rules Formulation, Amendment Monitoring System (RRFAMS) Portal

Launching/Introduction of New Recruitment Rules Formulation, Amendment Monitoring System (RRFAMS) Portal – reg

F.No. Misc – 14017/19/2016-Estt.(RR) Government of India Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions Department of Personnel and Training Estt. RR Division *******
North Block, New Delhi Dated: 08th Dec, 2016
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Launching/Introduction of New Recruitment Rules Formulation, Amendment Monitoring System (RRFAMS) Portal – reg.

Benefits of Debit Card Activation - FAQ


QUESTION 1. Why it is important to have active debit cards?
ANSWER: Debit Card makes your payments much more convenient and secure through an
electronic payment facility directly from your bank account. Debit card can be used for purchases online or at shops by directly debiting your Bank account. Debit cards can also be used to withdraw cash from an ATM.

Monday 12 December 2016

List of candidates eligible to appear for Paper-II of DR examination for GDS to the cadre of PA/SA for the vacancies of the year 2013 and 2014

The examination will be conducted as per the para 4.2 of Notification No. REP/4-4/2014 dated 29.06.2016. 

The date of examination will be intimated shortly

 

FNPO's Request to exempt from the recovery of the amount of fake currency note.

FEDERATION OF NATIONAL POSTAL ORGANISATIONS
T-24,Atul Grove Road, New Delhi - 110 001. Phone : 011-23321378

Ref:9/NAPE-C/177 /2016                                                            09/12/2016                               

To

Shri  B.V. Sudhakar, Chairman PS Board,
Department of Posts, Dak Bhawan ,
New Delhi-110 001.
Sir,
Sub. Request to grant remuneration to the staff who worked for demonisation scheme.
Ref: Your office D.O No 116-11/2016 SB date 18/11/2016
                           ***********
Kindly recall our discussion and my federation letters on the subject. During the discussion the chairman replied to us that the Directorate will consider the staff side request positively. Accordingly the letter under reference was sent to all Heads of the circle to provide remuneration to the staff who worked for demonisation scheme.
Nearly 3 weeks have completed no CPMG has issued orders on the subject. Therefore, my federation requests the directorate to fix the amount uniformly like banks.
Anticipating your favourable reply.

Yours Sincerely,

D.Theagarajan.
Secretary General. 


FEDERATIONOFNATIONALPOSTALORGANISATIONS
T-24,Atul Grove Road, New Delhi - 110 001. Phone : 011-23321378

Ref:9/NAPE-C/176 /2016                                                            09/12/2016                              
To

Shri  B.V. Sudhakar, Chairman PS Board,
Department of Posts, Dak Bhawan ,
New Delhi-110 001.
Sir,
.
Sub:  Exempt from the recovery of the amount of fake currency note deposited by the public under demonisation scheme.
Ref: Your office D.O No 116-11/2016 SB dt 17/11/2016 & 18/11/2016
                           ***********
Kindly recall our discussion and my federation letters on demonetisation scheme. During the discussion, my federation requested the chairman to give instruction to all Heads of the circle to provide fake  currency detecting machine to all the post offices. Though directorate has issued orders on the issue many SSPs/SPs have not supplied machine to many post offices which have resulted in staff who worked to make the Government scheme successful, face problem due to receipt of fake currency from the public during heavy rush. 
Our federation anticipated this and requested department repeatedly to ensure supply of fake currency detecting machine to post offices which wasn't considered as serious.
 Hence it is requested that to whichever post office the fake currency machine was not supplied the staff who worked for the demonetisation work scheme may kindly be exempted to pay the fake currency amount received from the public.

Yours Sincerely,

D.Theagarajan.
Secretary General.

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