AIPEU, Gr.-C, CHQ writes to Secretary(Posts) on UPS issue of Phulbani Division

Circle Union writes to Chief PMG, Odisha on posting of LSG officials

No. P3Odisha/08-01/2017

Dated at Bhubaneswar the 27^th January, 2017

To

The Chief Postmaster General

Odisha Circle

Bhubaneswar – 751 001

Sub:  Implementation of  Cadre Restructuring proposal for Group-C postal employees in Odisha Circle – Regarding

Ref.- D G (Posts) letter No. 25 – 4 / 2012 – PE.I, dated 27.05.2016

Respected Sir,

            This has a kind reference to this Circle Union’s letter No. P3Odisha/03-01/2017, dated 20^th January, 2017 with request first to complete the process for  HSG-I and HSG-II cadre and then to go for LSG cadre to avoid any dislocation in managing the huge number of vacant posts under both the  higher selection grades.

            Regretfully, our letter has not yet been acknowledged.

            Now as known to this Circle Union, DPC for LSG cadre is almost completed.

As a matter of practice, what we have been witnessing is that while the promoted officials to LSG Cadre under Berhampur and Sambalpur Region are just allotted leaving their posting orders to be issued by the concerned PMGs, the same for Head Quarters Region are directly issued by the Circle Office, Bhubaneswar.  But this time, it will be certainly a huge task for the Circle office to issue posting orders even for the Head Quarters Region since the numbers are more.

In this context, we would like to bring to the kind notice of the Chief PMG the instructions issued under Para – 10 of  the Directorate’s letter No 25-04/2012-PE-I(Pt) dated 11.11.2016 which states as follows.

“With regard to the guidelines of posting of the staff on newly created posts of LSG, as per the existing guidelines of delegation of powers, HOCs are empowered to take such decisions”.

In addition, as per instructions laid down under Para – 4 of the Directorate’s letter No. 137-4/2006-SPB.II, dated 30.05.2006 (Amendment to Recruitment Rules for LSG and HSG-II in POs and RMS Offices), movement of personnel in LSG to the extent possible may be restricted to the Divisions.

Therefore, this Circle Union would like to suggest the Circle administration to allot the promoted LSG officials to the respective Divisional Heads with instruction to post them calling for options of the approved officials for better staff welfare.

There may not be any second opinion that a well-placed employee can be able to give his best to achieve the target assigned to the post offices which is the need of the hour in this changed scenarios of India Post.

Hope, our suggestion will be considered affirmatively keeping in view the mass scale transfer and posting now going to arise due to promotions out of the cadre restructuring of Group-C employees.

        With regards.

Yours faithfully,

( BRUHASPATI  SAMAL)

Circle Secretary

Relaxation in the norms of promotions from LSG to HSG-II & HSG-II to HSG-I as one time measure - CHQ writes to Department

7th Central Pay Commission Annual Increment – Two Dates for Grant of Annual Increment

Date of next increment in revised pay structure :

(1) There shall be two dates for grant of increment namely, 1st January and 1st July of every year, instead of existing date of 1st July:

Provided that an employee shall be entitled to only one annual increment either on 1st January or 1st July depending on the date of his appointment, promotion or grant of financial upgradation.

(2) The increment in respect of an employee appointed or promoted or granted financial upgradation including upgradation under Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) during the period between the 2nd day of January and 1st day of July (both inclusive) shall be granted on 1st day of January and the increment in respect of an employee appointed or promoted or granted financial upgradation including upgradation under MACPS during the period between the 2nd day of July and 1st day of January (both inclusive) shall be granted on 1st day of July.

Illustration: (a) In case of an employee appointed or promoted in the normal hierarchy or under MACPS during the period between the 2nd day of July, 2016 and the 1st day of January, 2017, the first increment shall accrue on the 1st day of July, 2017 and thereafter it shall accrue after one year on annual basis.

(b) In case of an employee appointed or promoted in the normal hierarchy or under MACPS during the period between 2nd day of January, 2016 and 1st day of July, 2016, who did not draw any increment on 1st day of July, 2016, the next increment shall accrue on 1st day of January, 2017 and thereafter it shall accrue after one year on annual basis:

Provided that in the case of employees whose pay in the revised pay structure has been fixed as on 1st day of January, the next increment in the Level in which the pay was so fixed as on 1st day of January, 2016 shall accrue on 1st day of July, 2016:

Provided further that the next increment after drawal of increment on 1st day of July, 2016 shall accrue on 1st day of July, 2017.

(3) Where two existing Grades in hierarchy are merged and the junior Government servant in the lower Grade happens to draw more pay in the corresponding Level in the revised pay structure than the pay of the senior Government servant, the pay of the senior government servant shall be stepped up to that of his junior from the same date and he shall draw next increment in accordance with this rule.

There shall be two dates for grant of increment namely, 1st January and 1st July of every year, instead of existing date of 1st July; provided that an employee shall be entitled to only one annual increment on either one of these two dates depending on the date of appointment, promotion or grant of financial up-gradation.

Sl.No	Recommendation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission	Decision of the Government
1	The manner of drawal of annual increment to be as laid down in Para 5.1.53 of the Report.	Accepted

Authority: www.finmin.nic.in

India Post becomes 3rd entity to receive licence to start payment bank operations

NEW DELHI: IndiaPost has become the third entity to receive a final license last week from the Central Bank to start its payment bank operations. Country’s largest telcom service provider Bharti Airtel and digital payments firm Paytm are the other two to have received the license while only Airtel has started operations so far. 

The government has also appointed AP Singh has interim MD and CEO of the India Post Payment Bank. A 1986 Indian Postal Service Officer he was earlier Joint Secretary in the department of disinvestment, ministry of Finance and Deputy Director General incharge of financial inclusion and payments systems at Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Singh was one part of the founding team that launched Aadhaar and was stationed at the department of Post prior to UIDAI. 

As per the initial road map, each post office in the country will offer the post bank services. The department of post has an existing network of around 1,55,000 post offices currently. ET had reported earlier that IndiaPost plans to open 650 new branches for the payment bank. The branches will be co-located with the existing post offices. The idea is that the 650 branches will be in located in postal district headquarters and all the branches under that particular head post office will be enabled by the payment bank services. This will cover the entire network of 155,000 post offices in the country. 

Earlier this month, Airtel Payments Bank launched nationwide operations, offering 7.25% interest on savings bank balances, which is more than the maximum 7% paid by SBI on its fixed deposits. Bharti and Kotak Mahindra, which holds a 20% stake in the payments bank, would invest Rs 3,000 crore in the venture. 

Payments banks can accept deposits from individuals and small businesses of up to Rs 1 lakh per account. And RBI had set a condition that formal license has to be obtained before 31 March. 

ALIBABA backed Paytm also said early in January that it has received the final license from RBI and the company hopes to launch operations in February with the first branch coming up in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

While operation of Payment Banks such as Paytm are likely to be focused on technology based differentiation, IndiaPost is banking on its huge reach especially in the rural areas to be successful.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

650 districts in country to have post office PSKs

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has drawn up ambitious plans of opening post office Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in 650 districts across the country soon.

Disclosing this during the inauguration of a post office PSK here on Wednesday, MEA Secretary D.M. Mulay said the MEA was planning to collaborate with the Department of Posts by opening PSKs at district level across the country to meet the growing demand for passports. The demand for passports in India, which is around 2 crore a year, was the third highest in the world after China and the U.S. A total of 60,000 passports are issued every day in the country, he added.

While there are a total of 89 PSKs in the country, the first two post office PSKs were opened at the Metagalli Post office in Mysuru and the Head Post office at Dahod in Gujarat in pilot mode on Wednesday.

Usha Chandrashekar, member, Postal Services Board, who was also present at the inauguration, said the postal officials will be processing the applications for verification of documents and obtaining the photographs and biometrics of the applicants at the post office PSKs.

The Department of Posts, which was earlier only handling posts, has also been handling a variety of other services, including delivering e-commerce parcels, insurance, social security products, and agricultural seeds. Now, it will be handling delivery of passport-related services in an IT-enabled manner, she added.

Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who inaugurated the post office PSK in Mysuru, hoped that all the districts of the country will have a PSK in one year’s time and appreciated Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj’s initiative in the regard.

Pratap Simha, MP, recalled that the demand for a PSK for Mysuru was the first issue on which he had spoken in the Parliament after his election. He revealed that the decision to start a post office PSK in Mysuru from Wednesday was taken only last Friday and appreciated the officials of the Regional Passport Office, Bengaluru, led by RPO P.S. Karthigeyan for making the necessary arrangements in quick time.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com

Secretary staff side/JCM writes to Shri Rajnath Singh about the demands of Central Government Employees

Circle Union protests organizing melas/meetings on Sundays / Holidays

No. P3Odisha/05-01/2017

Dated at Bhubaneswar the 24^th  January, 2017

To

The Chief Postmaster General

Odisha Circle, Bhubaneswar – 751 001

Sub:   Organizing Mela / Meetings / workshops on Sundays/Holidays 

Respected Sir,

In spite of clear instructions issued vide Directorate’s letter No. 16/56/2011-SR dated 8.7.2011 not to hold meetings / melas on Sundays and Holidays and reiterating the same vide letter No 08/15/2011-SR dated 09.01.2012 to follow  the instructions  in letter and spirit, it has come to our notice that some Divisional Heads are still organizing meetings and workshops on Sundays / Holidays  and thus depriving the employees of their legitimate right to avail the weekly break/holidays which have their own significance.

Recently SPOs Ask Division called  a workshop of all PMs and SPMs (A class & B Class) on 22.01.2017(Sunday) vide his  letter No BD/Genl-24 dated 17.01.2017. Not only Aska, but several other Divisions are also compelling the staff to attend mela / meetings / workshops on Sundays / Holidays.

In this context, it is worth mentioning here is that this union has taken up this particular issue several times before with the Circle administration with positive result of shifting the date(s) to working days.

We may not commit a mistake in suggesting  our authorities  that motivation in a well designed manner realizing and addressing the employees’ difficulties can earn more revenue and achieve targets but not compulsion. But unfortunately, we are in such trends where compulsion supersedes motivation. We are not opposing in any manner to suspend any programme(s) of the Department that will take us towards our goal but just suggesting to reschedule it so that employees will be encouraged to participate in the same programmes of their own accord.

Rather, we are in favour of arranging frequent Melas/meetings/workshops on working days in small groups instead of a huge one continuously on Sundays/Holidays.

Therefore, it is requested kindly to instruct all Regional / Divisional Heads to follow the instructions issued vide Directorate’s letters referred to above in letter and spirit and not to arrange meetings/melas on Sundays/Holidays.

A line of reply on the action taken in this regard is highly solicited.

        With regards.

Yours faithfully,

( BRUHASPATI  SAMAL)

Circle Secretary