07/11/SH NEWS

Upgradation of Grade Pay of LDC/UDC: Date of next hearing is 01/04/2020.

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Saturday, December 31, 2011

WISH ALL READERS A VERY HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2012

                                          


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

FIRE AUDIT OF PRIVATE HOSPITALS / DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORIES / IMAGING CENTRES EMPANELLED UNDER CGHS


No: S.11011/23/2009-CGHS D.II/Hospital Cell (Part IX)
Government of India
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Department of Health & Family Welfare

Maulana Azad Road, Nirman BhawanNew Delhi 110 108
dated, the 13th December, 2011



OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Fire Audit of Private Hospitals / Diagnostic Laboratories / Imaging
                 Centres empanelled under CGHS

With reference to the above mentioned subject the undersigned is directed to state that in view of the recent fire accident in a private hospital in Kolkata, it is considered necessary to review the fire safety measures undertaken by the Private Hospitals / Diagnostic Laboratories / Imaging Centres empanelled under CGHS.

2. Accordingly Private Hospitals / Diagnostic Laboratories / Imaging Centres empanelled under CGHS are requested that:
i.            A copy of N.O.C. issued / renewed by the concerned Fire Department may be submitted to Addl. Director / Joint Director of CGHS concerned

ii.            Fire safety provisions installed at the Institution to deal with Fire Accidents may be reviewed immediately in consultation with Fire Department and gaps seen may be plugged.

iii.           Steps / Drills may be put in place to prevent Leakage of Radiation in case of centres dealing with Radio-active isotopes.

iv.           Nodal officers / persons may be identified and specific responsibility fixed for each of them to take necessary action in case of Fire Accident.

v.            The identified staff may be got trained accordingly in consultation with Fire Department.

vi.           Necessary mock drills may also be organized periodically to see that  systems
            respond in time in case of disaster.

3. You are requested to take necessary time bound action in this regard under intimation to Director, CGHS.

sd/-
(V.P.Singh)
Deputy Secretary to Government of India

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

REPRESENTATION FOR GRANTING FINANCIAL UPGRADATION IN THE PROMOTION HIERARCHY INSTEAD OF GRADE PAY HIERARCHY UNDER THE MACP


Dear friends/readers,

You are aware that a decision to send individual representation to the Secretary DoP&T for granting Financial upgradation in the promotion hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy under the MACP was taken in the Mumbai General Body Meeting of the Association. Accordingly three draft letters are posted hereunder:


One is for UDCs who got 2800 grade pay as 2nd MACP. The second draft letter is for the LDC who got only Rs 100 as 1st MACP. The third one is for steno grade III. Other affected cadres are requested to use this letter with suitable modifications.

Association requests all affected cadres in various Ministries/Field Offices of the Government of India to send individual representation, addressed to the Secretary DoP&T through proper channel. An advance copy of the representation may be sent to the Secretary DoP&T immediately.

The bolded line/words in the application form may be modified according to the Ministry/ Department/ Post/ Grade Pay/Place of Postings etc.

Since the next meeting of the MACP anomaly committee is scheduled to be held on 3rd January 2012, all representation should be dispatched immediately so as to reach the same to Secretary DoP&T before 3rd January. A photocopy of the representation may please be sent to me in the address given in the website so that the consolidated list can be put up to Com. S.K. Vyas, President Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers, who represents the confederation in the MACP Anomaly Committee, before 3rd January.

Friends, this is the time for action. Send your representation immediately and ask all such cadres in other Departments/your contact to act urgently.Please mind! A speedy result required a speedy and spirited  action from you.


Application form I
 
To


The Secretary,
Department of Personal & Training
New Delhi

(Through: Proper Channel)

Sub: Grant of Financial upgradation in the promotion hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy under the
        MACP.

Sir,

It is my humble submission that I joined as LDC in the Government of India, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, NSSO (FOD), Bhopal in 1989. In spite of the fact that an LDC qualifies for promotion to the post of UDC after completion of 8 years service, I could get promotion to the post of UDC only after 15 years due to heavy stagnation. The Assured Career Progression Scheme introduced by the Government in the year 1998, only partially met the monetary part as I was granted 1st financial upgradation under ACPS to the scale 4000-6000. As a result of implementation of MACPS w.e.f. 1.9.2008, I could get the next financial upgradation with Grade Pay of Rs. 2800 only. However, had the previous Assured Career Progression Scheme been continued, I could have been the beneficiary of 2nd financial upgradation with the Grade Pay of Rs. 4200 on completion of 24 years. At present, I have been entrusted/allotted with the duties which are normally handled by an Assistant or an official at a still higher cadre. Even though, I have not been promoted to the next higher post, the duties and responsibilities assigned to that higher post are being allocated to me on a regular and continuous basis. Thus, the denial Financial Upgradation in the promotional hierarchy to me for the reason that I have not been promoted to the higher post is not justified.

It is therefore requested that the financial upgradation under MACPS may be granted to me on the promotional hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy. Otherwise I may be allowed the option to choose ACPS or MACPS whichever is beneficial to me.

I request your early favorable action on the subject please.

Yours faithfully

(              )
Place:
Date:


Advance copy sent to the Secretary, Department of Personal & Training, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi.


Application form II



To

The Secretary,
Department of Personal & Training
New Delhi

(Through: Proper Channel)

Sub: Grant of Financial upgradation in the promotion hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy under the
        MACP.
Sir,

It is my humble submission that I joined as LDC in the Government of India, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, NSSO (FOD), Bhopal in October 1999. In spite of the fact that an LDC qualifies for promotion to the post of UDC after completion of 8 years service, I could not get promotion as UDC till date due to heavy stagnation. Meanwhile I was granted first financial upgradation with hierarchical grade pay of Rs. 2000 under Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme introduced by the Government w.e.f. 1.9.2008 which results in a meager monetary benefit of Rs. 100 only. However, had the previous Assured Career Progression Scheme been continued, I could have been the beneficiary of 1st financial upgradation with the Grade Pay of Rs. 2400 on completion of 12 years.

At present, I have been entrusted/allotted with the duties which are normally handled by a UDC or an official at a still higher cadre. Even though, I have not been promoted to the next higher post, the duties and responsibilities assigned to that higher post are being allocated to me on a regular and continuous basis. Moreover I am doing work in computer which is normally handled by an EDP in Government of India Offices where the EDP has been placed in a higher grade pay whereas I get the benefit of Rs. 100/- only for my hard work for more than 10 years. In the light of the above, the denial Financial Upgradation in the promotion hierarchy to me for the reason that I have not been promoted to the higher post is not justified.

In order to remove this anomalous situation, it is my fervent appeal to you to issue necessary instructions to grant grade pay of the promotional post in the hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy. Otherwise I may be allowed the option to choose ACPS or MACPS whichever is beneficial to me.

I request you an early favorable action on the subject please.

Yours faithfully

(                 )
Place:

Date:

Advance copy sent to the Secretary, Department of Personal & Training, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi.





Application form III



To

The Secretary,
Department of Personal & Training
New Delhi

(Through: Proper Channel)

Sub: Grant of Financial upgradation in the promotion hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy under the
        MACP.

Sir,

It is my humble submission that I joined as Steno Grade III in the Government of India, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, NSSO (FOD), Bhopal in 1999. In spite of the fact that an Steno Grade III qualifies for promotion to the post of Steno Grade II after completion of 8 years service, could not get promotion as Steno Grade II till date due to heavy stagnation. Meanwhile I was granted first financial upgradation with hierarchical grade pay of Rs. 2800 under Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme introduced by the Government w.e.f. 1.9.2008 which results in a meager monetary benefit of Rs. 400 only. However, had the previous Assured Career Progression Scheme been continued, I could have been the beneficiary of 1st financial upgradation with the Grade Pay of Rs. 4200 on completion of 12 years. In the mean time I have been entrusted/allotted with the duties which are normally handled by an Steno Grade II or an official at a still higher cadre. Even though, I have not been promoted to the next higher post, the duties and responsibilities assigned to that higher post are being allocated to me on a regular and continuous basis. Thus, the denial Financial Upgradation in the promotion hierarchy to me for the reason that I have not been promoted to the higher post is not justified.

It is therefore requested that the financial upgradation under MACPS may be granted to me on the promotional hierarchy instead of grade pay hierarchy. Otherwise I may be allowed the option to choose ACPS or MACPS whichever is beneficial to me.

I request your early favorable action on the subject please.

Yours faithfully

(              )
Place:
Date:

Advance copy sent to the Secretary, Department of Personal & Training, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi.
























Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Filling up of the vacant posts of LDC by educationally qualified MTS.

ALL INDIA ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF (NON GAZETTED)
MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Hall No. 201 & 205, Vijay Stumbh,
Zone I, Maharana Pratap Nagar,

No. 2/Assn/GS/2011                                                                                         Bhopal, dated 12/11/2011

To

The Additional Director General,
NSSO (FOD),
New Delhi

Sub: Filling up of the vacant posts of LDC by educationally qualified MTS.

Sir,

It is to inform you that the General Body meeting of this Association held at Mumbai on 15-16 September 2011 discussed and decided an item demanding filling up of the vacant posts of LDC in the FOD Offices by promotion of educationally qualified MTS. The meeting observed that in several of the Offices of the FOD educationally qualified MTS have been engaged in the administrative work against the vacant post of LDC. In the Sub Regional Offices of FOD MTS do the entire work related to administration. Majority of these MTS have got proficiency in computer operations as well.

It is to be noted that qualified MTS who are declared surplus and who do not have even meager average knowledge of administrative work are sponsored against regular vacancy of LDC in Central Government Offices. Whereas the educationally qualified MTS of the FOD offices are already working in the administrative section and knows the routine administrative matters as well. It is therefore requested that educationally qualified MTS may be promoted against the vacancies of LDC as a onetime measure.

An early action on the matter is requested please.


Yours faithfully


(TKR Pillai)
General Secretary

Copy to: The Joint Secretary, MoS & PI for information please.



Promotion of UDC to the post of Assistant on 18 years Combined Seniority of LDC & UDC.

ALL INDIA ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF (NON GAZETTED)
MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Hall No. 201 & 205, Vijay Stumbh,
Zone I, Maharana Pratap Nagar,
No. 2/Assn/GS/2011                                                                                         Bhopal, dated 12/11/2011


To
The Additional Director General,
NSSO (FOD),
New Delhi

Sub: Promotion of UDC to the post of Assistant on 18 years Combined Seniority of LDC & UDC.

Sir,

This is in continuation of this Association letter of even number dated 12/07/2010 wherein it was requested to consider promotion to the post of Assistant on the combined seniority of LDC & UDC. But we have not received any information on the progress of the action taken so far and such the matter was discussed in the General Body Meeting of the Association, held at Mumbai on 15-16 September 2011.

While discussing the matter the delegates pointed out that as per DoPT manual LDCs have to do the work of dispatch/diary, copying, typing and other minor administrative work only. Whereas in NSSO offices especially the Regional Offices of FOD major subjects, viz. Establishment, Accounts, Store, TA/Medical, Budget, MPER, Reconciliation, NPS Pension maintenance, Pension cases, Pay Fixation etc. are rotated among LDCs and UDCs through periodical work allocation. Moreover, on an average it takes 15-16 years for an LDC to get promotion to the post of UDC in NSSO Offices especially in FOD Regions whereas DoPT provides only 8 years of qualifying service for promotion to the post of UDC. Thus considering the time period taken and also the quality work/section allocated to the LDCs from the date of their joining as LDC in the FOD Offices, it is requested that promotion to the post of Assistant may be made on combined service put in the post of the LDC & UDC together and amendments in the recruitment rule of the Assistant may be made accordingly.

Till the amendment of recruitment rule is finalized all vacancies of the Assistant may be filled by the UDCs on ad-hoc basis.

An early action on the matter is requested please.

Yours faithfully

(TKR Pillai)
General Secretary

Copy to: The Joint Secretary, MoS & PI for information please.




Tuesday, November 15, 2011

REVISION OF PPO OF PRE-1996 FAMILY PENSIONERS


No.1/20/2011 -P&PW(E)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension
Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare
Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market,
New Delhi, the 1st November, 2011.

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Sub: - Revision of PPOs of pre—2006 family pensioners — regarding.

The undersigned is directed to refer to Secretary (Pension)'s d.o. letter No.42/68/2009-P&PW(G), dated the 25th May, 2011 and 8th June, 2011 concerning revision of Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) in respect of pre-2006 Pensioners consequent to implementation of 6th CPC recommendations.

2. It is heartening to learn from replied received the Ministries/ Departments that they are responsive to the needs of Pensioners/Family Pensioners. In the mean while, Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) has issued an advertisement, which has been published in the Newspapers on 3rd September, 2011, requesting pre-2006 pensioners/family pensioners to provide prescribed information to the Head of the Department/Office concerned for issue of revised PPOs. In another advertisement published on 15th and l6th September, CPAO has circulated its toll-free telephone number 1800-11-77-88 for registration of grievances. Therefore, all the Ministries/ Departments are requested to seize the opportunity and revise the pre-2006 PPOs at the earliest possible.

3. It has come to the notice of this Department that the family pensioners are a sufferer's lot as the Banks have not revised the family pension in most of the cases and it is being paid either at the pre-revised rates or at the minimum rate of Rs.3500/- per month. Therefore, all Ministries/Departments and PAOs are requested to take up the matter of revision of family pension as first priority.


(K.K. Mittal)
Director Ph:24624752



Saturday, November 12, 2011

CONFEDERATION NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETS AT KOCHI KERALA

CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS.
Chq: Manishinath Bhawan
A2/95 Rajouri Garden
New Delhi. 100 027.

Website:confederationhq.blogspot.com
E mail. Confederation06@yahoo.co.in
Dated: 10th November, 2011

N O T I C E

Notice is hereby given for a meeting of the National Council of the Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers, on 16th December, 2011 at KOCHI (Ernakulam – Kerala) The meeting will commence at 10.00 a.m. and will continue till the agenda items are discussed and concluded. The following is the agenda for discussion at the meeting.

1. Review of the 25th November, March to Parliament programme and the signature campaign against the PFRDA Bill.

2. Finalization of future action programme to realize the charter of demands.

3. Review of progress in the matter of formation of District and State Committees.

4. Other organizational issues with special reference to payment of subscription and the venue for the next triennial conference.

5. Participation in the common T.U Programmes chalked out by the joint platform of trade unions

6. Continuing impasse in the settlement of issues slated for discussion at the National Anomaly Committee.

7. Any other matter with the permission of the Chair.


K.K.N.Kutty
Secretary General

Friday, November 11, 2011


“OCCUPY WALL STREET”

“Occupy Wall Street” has become now a very important slogan of American working class. For the last few weeks workers are being assembled at Wall Street New York (America) and protesting the globalization policies which have caused tremendous unemployment, soaring inflation mainly in the food items and rampant corruption. Wall Street is the place where office of world’s No. 1 Stock Market New York Stock Exchange is situated. Besides this there are offices of World’s most important Banks and financial Corporations and Multinational Companies. This is the perception of American general public that this is the place of greed, gambling, cheating and euphemism of profit making and exploitation of working class and general people through which the economic policies of America are decided and US Government dances on its finger tip. The palpable anger of the people against the deprivations imposed upon them since the financial meltdown of the “Big Five” (Multinational giant financial corporations) on Wall Street in New York in 2008 have now reached on unprecedented level of unemployment and declining livelihood standards. The rallying point was focus against corporate greed and loot as the genesis of their travails is like the severe pain to a woman at the time of giving birth to a child. This anti Wall Street protests against globalization policies has spread over 1500 cities word over. This is the self generated agitation among the people who are badly affected by this capitalist system. The myth that the state under capitalism is a benign natural entity has been shattered. True to its character, the capitalist state intervened to bail out these very financial giants who in the first place caused the current crisis.

To show their disbelief in banking system, hundreds of people have withdrawn their money and closed the accounts as a symbolic protest.

This type of protest has spread in the cities like London, Rome, Athens and other cities of Europe and Asia. Now this trend of profit making by giant financial corporate sector has become a symbol of hate.

This self generated agitation of U.S. people can be compared with anti corruption movement of Anna Hazare in our country, India. As the people of India think that the wide spread corruption in all walks of life is the root cause of miserable condition of working class and general public in India (even though there are other burning issues like price rise, unemployment etc also as a fall out of capitalist globalization policies). The anti Wall Street protesters rightly believe that main reason of all evils of economic system exists in capitalist system operated from Wall Street.

Now the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ agitation has become international. The policy makers in every country should think very seriously to put check on this financial, banking and share market oriented globalization policies and try to search alternative path for the welfare of working class and people of not only in USA and Europe but for whole World where a common man can earn his livelihood and can live his life peacefully getting rid of miserable condition fulfilling the minimum requirements of life.

As the living legend of socialist world Comrade Fidel Castro of Cuba has correctly put it “there is an alternative and socialism is the only alternative”. Let us hope for a new world order.

Courtesy: Postal Crusader November 2011

Saturday, October 29, 2011

AN ORDER GRANTING Rs. 2800 GRADE PAY TO UDC


Dear readers,

You are aware that this Association had raised a demand for merger of the posts of LDC & UDC and granting of Rs. 2800 grade pay. The demand was very genuine and as such several of the popular web sites flashed the demand in their web sites and accordingly hundreds of readers recorded their positive comments. Close on heal several Staff Associations have taken up the issue in their respective departments. Information under RTI were sought and DoPT had informed that an anomaly case on the matter is under consideration. Thereafter 30% posts of UDC in Central Secretariat Service have been upgraded to 4200 grade pay & 85% LDC's posts in Central Secretariat offices have been abolished.  And now DoPT/Department of Expenditure has agreed to grant Rs. 2800 grade pay to UDCs (copy of the order enclosed). Since the LDC & UDC are common cadres, restructuring/upgradation of the posts were not being considered by the various Department so far.  This order togetherwith the order abolitiing of 85% posts LDC's posts CSS has opened a new chapter for restructuring of Miknisterial posts.





Friday, October 21, 2011

JOIN ONE! JOIN ALL!! JOIN THE 1 CRORES SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN & MARCH TO PARLIAMENT ON 25TH NOVEMBER

STEERING COMMITTEE CALLS FOR GREATER MOBILIZATION


STEERING COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ORGANISATIONS ON  PFRDA BILL


Minutes of the Meeting of Steering Committee held on 15th October 2011

The meeting, as scheduled, commenced at 11.30 am.

The following were present.


1. Com Shiv Gopal Mishra, General Secretary, AIRF
2.      "               Sukomal Sen, Sr Vice President, AISGEF
3.      "               R Muthusundaram, Secretary General, AISGEF
4.      "               C Sreekumar, General Secretary, AIDEF
5.      "               S N Pathak, President, AIDEF
6.      "               S K Vyas, President, Confederation
7.      "              M S Raja, Secretary, Confederation
8.      "              VAN Namboodiri, President, BSNLEU

After detailed discussion the following decisions were taken.


1. The signature campaign would continue upto 20th November 2011 but at the same time the units shall be directed by each participating organisation to intimate the number of signatures obtained upto 15th November to CHQs of the respective Federations.

The signatures obtained shall be submitted on 25th November 2011.

Memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister shall be signed by the leaders of all participating organisations in the Steering Committee and Members of Parliament and dignitaries and the same shall be submitted to Speaker, Lok Sabha with a forwarding letter with a request to transmit it to the PM for consideration of the Parliament.

2. Each station has to communicate the number of participants in the March to Parliament by 15th Nov 11.
The organisations present in the meeting stated their mobilisation for the March as below:


                                                    1. AIDEF -------------------- 5000
                                                    2. CONFEDERATION ---- 10000
                                                    3. BSNLEU ----------------- 3000
                                                    4. AIRF -------------------- 10000
                                                    5. AISGEF ----------------- 50000

Also, 3000 pensioners are expected to join the March to Parliament.

5. The Rally shall be from 11 am to 2 pm.

6. Central Trade Union leaders & MPs shall be invited to address the rally.

8. On the day the PFRDA bill is taken up for discussion, 2 hour demonstration shall be held in the work places/offices through out the country by the members of all the participating organisations.


9. Delhi based leaders of the participating organisations will meet on 19th.

Delhi based leaders of the participating organisations will meet on 19th November 2011 at 12 noon at AIRF office. Local leaders of all participating organisations shall be invited to the meeting.

10. The Steering Committee shall meet at 5 pm on 24th November 2011 at AIRF office.



Sd/-
(SK VYAS)
President
Confederation of Central Govt Employees & Workers

Friday, October 14, 2011

ORGANISE 1 LAKH SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN TO WITHDRAW PFRDA BILL & JOIN THE PARLIAMENT MARCH ON 25TH NOVEMBER 2011

ALL INDIA ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATION STAFF (NON GAZETTED)
MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Hall No. 201 & 205, Vijay Stumbh,
Zone I, Maharana Pratap Nagar,
Bhopal, dated 07/10/2011

Dear friends,  To withdraw the PFRDA Bill from the Parliament both in the interest of the Civil Servants and the exchequer Confederation of Central Government Employees & workers has given  the  call to organise one crores signature campaign  and  a massive parliament march  on 25th of November 2011. Our Association has decided to organize one lakh signatures campaign from the members, members of fraternal Associations, family members and well wishers by 15th of November 2011 so that the same can be submitted to the Confederation by 20th of November 2011. All branches are requested to please take up the work in its own spirit and assign the task of achieving atleast 100 signature per member from their family members and well wishers. Similarly, please do take help of all technical staff in each branch to gather at least 50 signatures per Officer/Staff.

All the readers of this web site can also organise signature campaign for the purpose at their own level and send the same to this Association.


A pamphlet in HINDI is put in the Association e-mail which may please be used for campaigning amongst the Hindi speaking people. 

Dear friends,

You are aware that the Government of India has introduced a new contributory pension scheme for the Civil Servants, recruited to Government service after 1.1.2004. The scheme is mandatory in as much as the employee is bound to subscribe 10% of his emoluments to the Pension Fund. All the State Governments except the Left ruled have also introduced the New Pension Scheme for the employees in their states.

Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA)

The PFRDA was established by Government of India on 23rd August, 2003 and the Government has, through an executive order dated 10th October 2003, mandated PFRDA to act as a regulator for the pension sector. PFRDA has appointed Fund Managers to manage and decide investment of the Fund.

PFRDA Bill:

In order to authenticate the PFRDA established through executive order, the Government of India has introduced the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, in the Parliament. The first version of Bill was placed before the Parliament by the NDA Government in 2003. The UPA-I brought it again in the parliament which was forced to drop due to the opposition of the left parties, supporting the UPA-I Government. The present Government reintroduced the bill in the parliament recently with an intention to allow the fund managers to invest the amount in speculative share markets wherein the actual quantum of pension one get would depend on the accruals to be decided by the market forces.


Why we oppose the PFRDA Bill?

1. As per the principle adopted in determining of pay package of civil servants the wages paid out during the work tenure is low in order to effect payment of pension on retirement. As such civil service pension is rightly termed as deferred wage. And then the logic of the constitution of a separate Pension Fund for Civil Servants is not justified.

2. The same wage structure designed for those who are recruited prior to the 1.1.2004 has been enforced to the person recruited after 1.1.2004 and yet denied to enable the liability of pension in future by the Government. By imposing the new contributory pension scheme on the employees who are recruited after the cutoff date the Government not only denies the statutory defined pension benefit to them but also compel them to contribute for earning an undefined pension, which must be characterized as highly discriminatory.


3. It is stated that the prime objective of the introduction of the contributory pension scheme is to substantially reduce the outflow on account of pension liability. Whereas the major pension liability of Government is accounted for by Armed Defence personnel, they are however excluded from the purview of the contributory pension scheme. Of the present pension liability of the Government of India, which in 2004-05 was only 0.51% of the GDP out of which 0.26% is accounted for by the Defence. The study report of the Centre for Economic Studies, the Committee set up by the 6th CPC, has observed that at present the pension liability as a percentage to GDP which is just 0.5% which is likely to decline given the growth rate of Indian economy. The committee concluded that the new contributory pension scheme will increase the outflow from the exchequer from Rs. 14,284 Crores to Rs. 57088 Crores by 2038. The Committee has ultimately recommended that the existing pension scheme which is presently in vogue will be ideal and may be continued.


4. As per the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgment “pension is neither a bounty nor a grace bestowed by the sweet will of the employer, but a payment for the past services rendered. It was construed as a right step towards socio-economic justice and a concrete assurance to the effect that the employee in his old age is not left in the lurch. Accordingly the fifth Central Pay Commission observed (Para 127.6) that " pension is the statutory, inalienable and legally enforceable right earned by the civil servant by the sweat of the brow and being so must be fixed, revised, modified and changed in the way not dissimilar to salary granted to serving employees."

5. In the case of Civil Servants recruited after the cut-off date, the new scheme replaces the existing much better "defined benefit" pension scheme. In the process, the Government has created two classes of civil servants viz. the one with a defined benefit pension scheme and the other with the contributory pension scheme in which the employee is to part with 10% of his emoluments to become entitled for an old age social security subject to the vagaries of share market permits. Since in both the cases, the pay, allowances, perks, and other benefits, privileges, duties and responsibilities are the same it amounts to wanton discrimination of one against another which is not sustainable in law, rather violative of the existing constitutional provisions.

6. Those who are covered by the contributory pension scheme will become entitled for an pension, a portion of the accumulated contribution is able to purchase, basing upon the accretion to the fund from the investment. There is, however, no guaranteed minimum amount of pension for those who are covered by the new scheme, whereas the civil servants covered by the existing scheme do get a defined and guaranteed minimum pension and on his death his family members (wife, widowed and unmarred daughters and unemployed sons below the age of 25) become entitled for family pension. The discrimination factor is thus compounded.

7. The pension fund created by the employees' subscription and the employers' contribution which directly flows from the exchequer ( which is nothing but tax revenue of the Govt.) is made available for the stock market operations which is not only unethical but also blatant diversion of public fund for private profit, both Foreign and Indian capitalists.

8. The PRFDA Bill stipulates that there will not be any explicit or implicit assurance of the benefit except market based guarantee. The subscriber is thus exposed to the following risks at the exit.

a) If there is a major market shock, the subscriber to the New Pension scheme may end with no ability to purchase an annuity.

b) Since annuity is and cannot be cost indexed, the real worth of the annuity might fall depending upon the inflationary pressure on the economy.

c) As per the scheme, the subscriber is to make the choice of investment portfolio. The Civil Servant being mostly uninformed in finance and investment related matters, he might end up in making wrong choices which would eventually rob him of the old age pension.

d) The subscriber is perforce to contribute to the charges of the investment managers, whose priority often is as to how much profit they could make through investment of the huge corpus of pension fund in the volatile share market.

9.. The collapse of pension fund in the western capitalist countries in the year 2008-09 illustrate how the market recession and meltdown in the financial markets affect the lifelong savings of the working people. According to a study the private pension funds lost around 30% in the western capitalist countries which make an estimated US$ 5.4 Trillion. In the given the circumstances no one can be sure that the money of the subscriber deposited in the pension fund will get them back. And yet IMF in their work paper advocated for the creation of New Pension Fund in place of old Defined Benefit pension scheme, which can be treated as the voice of the capitalist and market brokers who want to bring the pension fund to the share market.


Action initiated/proposed:

From the above it is clear that the Civil Service pension is the deferred wages of the employees and the same should be paid from the consolidated fund of India under the ‘defined benefit’ of pension scheme. In the given circumstances, in order to oppose the PFRDA Bill, a National Convention under the leadership of Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers; All India Railway men Federation; All India State Government Employees’ Federation; School Teachers Federation of India; Bharat Sanchar Nigam Employees’ Union; All India Defense Employees Federation and allied Unions, was organized at New Delhi on 22/7/2011.

The convention unanimously decided to organize a mass signature campaign to be submitted to the Prime Minister (Copy of the petition is enclosed); to approach the Standing Committee for a hearing by the participating organizations; to organize state level conventions; to organize march to Raj Bhawan at all State Capitals; to organize march to parliament on 25th of November & to organize a day’s strike.


With warm regards
Yours Sincerely


(TKR Pillai)
General Secretary


To


Dr Manmohan Singh,
Hon’ble Prime Minister,
New Delhi


Sir,

We submit this petition to bring to your kind notice certain aspects of the re-introduced PFRDA Bill which will have an extremely adverse impact on the pension and retirement benefits of the Government employees. We may also state in this connection that the contributory pension scheme will be a drain on the exchequer.

The guiding principle adopted in determining the pay package of civil servants is to spread out the wage compensation over a long period of time because of which the wages during the work tenure is low to enable pension payment on retirement. This makes the pension a “deferred wage”, which the Supreme Court has upheld as such in their landmark judgment in the case of D.S. Nakara Vs. Union of India. As the bill does not provide implicit or explicit assurance of a minimum pension except marked based guarantee, the civil servant even after contributing huge sums to pension fund may end up with no annuity if the invested company become bankrupt or the equity market crashes. Moreover the annuity which would be the pension under the new scheme being not cost indexed will make it difficult for the pensions to make the both ends meet.

The Committee set up by the 6th CPC has concluded that the new contributory pension scheme will increase the outflow from the exchequer from Rs. 14,284 Crores to Rs. 57088 Crores by 2038. The Committee has also observed that the pension liability of the Government which was 0.5% of the GDP in 2004-05 under the defined benefit scheme is likely to decline if the same is not replaced by the contributory pension scheme as envisaged in the PFRDA bill. The Committee has ultimately recommended that the existing “Pay as you go” pension which is presently in vogue will be ideal and may be continued.

Since the new scheme is neither in the interest of the country as it increases the outflow on account of pension liability nor to the Civil Servants for it does not guarantee a minimum pension, we appeal to you kindly cause withdrawal of the PFRDA Bill from the Parliament immediately.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Name                                                 Address                                                         Signature



































Thursday, September 29, 2011

De-registration of DND registered mobile-regarding

Kind attention of Member/Well-wishers



According to the new TRAI Rule from September 27, message sent via group SMS does not deliver SMS to DND registered mobile numbers. All members/well-wishers, registered their mobile ‘DND’ are again requested to please de-register by texting ‘stop DND’ to 1909 or supply another mobile number which is not registered with DND, so that the SMS sent by the Association could be reached them timely.


(TKR Pillai)
General Secretary