Friday, September 30, 2016

Postal JCA comprising NFPE, FNPO, AIPEU GDS & NUGDS declares 2 days nationwide strike on 9th & 10th November, 2016 for GDS and Casual Workers

Revision of interest rates for Small Savings Schemes to be effective from third quarter of Financial Year 2016-17

Fixation of pay and grant of increment in the revised pay structure - clarifications




Source : http://www.finmin.nic.in/7cpc/7thCPC_PayFixation_revisedpaystructure.pdf

GDS BONUS - FLASH NEWS

FLASH NEWS


      Regarding grant of enhanced bonus of Rs.7000 to GDS, Com. R. N. Parashar, Secretary General, NFPE discussed with Chairman, GDS Committee, Shri Kamalesh Chandra today (29.09.2016). 

    Chairman informed that he had recommended for payment of bonus to GDS at the enhanced calculation ceiling of Rs. 7000/- and the file is returned to Postal Board. 

   (Last time Nataraja Murthy Committee has recommended that GDS should not be paid enhanced bonus and their bonus should be reduced to 50% of the departmental employees). 

    Now that, GDS committee has recommended Rs.7000/-, Postal JCA has demanded Postal Board to issue bonus orders of GDS with calculation ceiling of 7000/- without any further delay.

Source : http://www.aipeup3chq.com/

DEPARTMENTAL ANOMALY COMMITTEE – DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

DEPARTMENTAL ANOMALY COMMITTEE – DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

Secretary General reported the communication received from the Department regarding constitution of Departmental Anomaly Committee. The following will represent NFPE in the Committee against the 5 seats allotted to NFPE. Com. R. N. Parashar (SG & GS – P3), Com. Giriraj Singh (GS-R3) Com. R. Seethalakshmi (GS-P4), Com. P. Suresh (GS-R4) Com. Pranab Bhattacharjee (Admin Union).

It is decided that all General Secretaries should submit the items to be included in the agenda of the Anomaly Committee to Com. Giriraj Singh, Secretary, JCM (DC) staff side on or before 15.10.2016. Branch/Divisional/Circle Secretaries should submit the items to their respective General Secretaries before 12.10.2016.



Fraternally yours,


(R. N. Parshar)
Secretary General

Eligibility service for promotion to ASPs cadre - regarding

Counting of Training period for IPO Examination - Clarification


Whether training period counted for IPO examination? 

Answer is YES. 


Government of India’s Orders No. 16 below FR. 9(6) reads: 

Period of training before appointment to be treated as ‘duty’ for eligibility to sit for departmental examinations: 

       It has been decided that in all cases where pre-service training is considered necessary before actual appointment to the post, the period spent by an officer on training immediately before such appointment would count as qualifying service for the purpose of eligibility for appearing in Departmental examinations, even if the officer is not given the scale of pay of the post but only a nominal allowance. 

     Hence the candidates are requested to submit their application before the last date (30.09.2016) mentioning the period of training in the application form. 


Revision of Inspection Questionnaire for MGNREGS at Branch Post office and Sub Post Office

Post Office always be on forefront of financial inclusion in India : Venkaiah

HYDERABAD, SEPTEMBER 26: 
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu has said that contrary to the popular misconception, the postal department has defied the rise of internet and mobile telephony.
Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Labour and Employment, Bandaru Dattatreya (right), and Union Minister of State for Telecommunications and Railways Manoj Sinha inaugurating the Telangana Postal circle in Hyderabad KVS GIRI

Inaugurating the newly formed Telangana Postal Circle here today, he said, “From now onwards, Telangana Postal Circle and Andhra Pradesh Postal circle will cater to the needs of the respective states. It will increase efficiency both States. Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle will get a new headquarters at an appropriate time.”

Payment banks

Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Communications (I/C) and Minister of State for Railways, has said the Department of Posts is in the process of setting up India Post Payment Banks (IPPB) with 100 per cent Government Equity.

The task is likely to be completed by September 2017 when all IPPB branches and their linkages with all post offices across the country will be completed.

Sinha said India has the largest postal network in the world. There were 1,54,939 post offices in India of which 1,39,222 (almost 90 percent) are in rural areas.

“Post has played major role in shaping of modern India. Post Office Saving Bank (POSB) had a customer base of 33.03 crore as on March 31, 2015. There has been a sharp increase in it due to the welfare schemes,” he said.

Savings accounts

He said the number of saving accounts in post offices went up by 3 crore within one year of the NDA government’s functioning.

The total number of accounts including Recurring Deposit, MIS, MNREGA, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana went up by 5 crore in the corresponding period.

Explaining some of the recent initiatives, he said India Post has reinvented its role in rural narrative.

“The MNREGA payments are being disbursed and the Postal Department has rolled out Central Banking Solution in 9,583 Post Offices. ATMs have been installed at 125 locations and Debit cards have been issued to Post Office Savings Bank customers,”he said.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Shri Manoj Sinha, Hon'ble Minister of State (I/C) for released a commemorative stamp on "Lady Hardinge Medical College"

Shri Manoj Sinha, Hon'ble Minister of State (I/C) for Communications released a commemorative postage stamp on "Lady Hardinge Medical College" on 23.09.2016


Govt is actively considering central D.A. increase from 01.07.2016

  • Sources close to Finance Ministry told that the initial installment of DA to central government employees on the revised pay structure w.e.f 1.7.2016 is under consideration.
  • There is a confusion about percentage of D.A. payable from 1st July 2016 to Central Govt. employee and pensioners. There may be a hike of 2 to 3 percentage point, which is to be announced very soon, probably in this week.
  • Meanwhile Govt asked the Pay Research Unit to calculate exact financial implication for every percentage of D.A. increase, which is a routine matter.


Amendment to Article 39 of AIRMS & MMS

NEW AVATAR FOR THE OLD INDIA POST


The postal service department is in for exciting times. But it needs to revamp functioning if it has to make full use of the new avenues which are opening up 

India Post, with its unparalleled reach and omnipresence, is one of the oldest and most recognisable public agencies in India. This Indian icon, which once faced apparently insurmountable challenges in the form of the mobile revolution, is poised to take up a new role in the financial inclusion mission, with the acquisition of payments banking licence and incorporation of the India Posts Payments Bank. However, the postal department would need a critical overhaul of its staffing and operations to leverage its strengths and become an efficient and modern machine which would not only deliver the new services but also continue to fulfill its traditional role. 

India Post is the largest postal network in the world with over 1.5 lakh post offices, out of which 89 per cent are located in rural areas. A post office is available for every 8,354 citizens, which makes the postal department much larger than any single Union Government agency. The postal department facilitates the traffic of about 602 crore articles every year, along with being the last-mile deliverer for multiple social and financial schemes like the Postal Savings Account, national savings and most recently the Sukanya Samridhi Yojana. In spite of these advantages, the financial and departmental efficiency of the department remains questioned. The Department of Posts has estimated a gross expenditure of Rs 23,500 crore, of which a mere Rs 406 crore was earmarked for capital investments. The department also needs a budgetary support of about Rs 9,000 crore from the exchequer in FY 2016-17 alone. While India Post has in the recent past introduced new initiatives like monetisation of real estate, distribution of financial instruments and digitization which can contribute to increased revenue, costs due to salaries and pensions too have gone up by almost 10 per cent. Though the postal service is not a purely commercial enterprise and is bound by the service obligation of providing facilities to all, it is important that efficiencies be ingrained to get more returns for every rupee invested from the public treasury. 

Some planned investments have the potential to transform the institution, but that needs more focus. Project Arrow, which was initiated to improve the core operations and user experience in post offices, requires further increased investment. The Panchayat Sanchar Sewa Kendra and the franchise scheme aims to extend the postal service network to areas where the postal department could not open outlets but where services are required. The targets and achievements in these verticals have been modest, primarily due to request-based nature of these models. The department needs to proactively identify areas which are eligible under the guidelines for PSSK and franchise and invite individuals to participate in extending the network. Similarly, the tie-up with e-commerce companies for delivering parcels, along with the c ash-on-delivery model (currently operational only in 18 major cities), presents enormous scope for expansion, given the size of the e-commerce market. 

While IT induction and modernisation has been taken forward at the circle/urban post offices, the rural post offices still lack basic IT equipment to create a seamless IT-enabled postal network. The scheme for rural post office connectivity and hardware has been plagued by lack of interest from bidders for execution. Lack of adequate funding for IT modernisation has also led to a long drawn process which is often outpaced by technology. Effective IT modernisation of the the postal department urgently needs renewed focus and a high-powered decision making body. 

In addition, innovative methods and new commercial avenues will have to be explored. Pricing of postal services has always been a trade-off decision between public good and commercial viability. Multiple committees in the past have recommended better pricing mechanisms for postal services. A model of differential pricing with categories of premium/ordinary service with adequate flexibility is the need of the hour for the postal. The Automated Mail Processing Centres (APMCs) have improved the lead time on postal deliveries. However, these are limited to four major cities and handle only about 20 per cent of the registered traffic.

Release of New Special Covers on Sports

500th Test match of Indian Cricket team - 24 September 2016 - Bangalore 




This special cover is released to mark the occasion of the 500th Test match of Indian Cricket team. The match is being played at Kanpur from September 22 onward against New Zealand. The price of the cover is Rs 35/- 

The Captains of few major Test Matches are:
1st - Shri CK Nayudu,
100th - Shri M. A. K. Pataudi
200th - Shri Sunil Gavaskar
300th - Shri Sachin Tendulkar
400th - Shri Rahul Dravid
500th - Shri Virat Kohli.
RIO PARALYMPICS - India's Medal Winners - Nation's Pride (KTK/16/2016) - 24 September 2016 - Bangalore



This special cover is released to commemorate Medal winners of India in Rio Paralympics. The Paralympics Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event, involving athletes with range of disabilities that include impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, vision impairment etc. All the winners are the first time Medal winners except Javelin thrower Shri Devendra Jhajharia - became the first Indian to clinch two gold medals (including a gold medal won earlier in 2004 Athens Paralympics).

- Suresh R - Bangaore : email : suresh.hobbies@gmail.com


Cycling in Ireland


Date of Issue : 15 September 2016

An Post issued a set of stamps which recognize the growth in popularity of cycling in Ireland. The ‘Cycling in Ireland’ stamps feature four different aspects of the sport in Ireland: Commuting and safety, family and leisure, sportive and charity and high performance and competition. 

Cycling in Ireland has grown hugely as a pastime for people of all ages and abilities. People are getting on their bikes for a variety of reasons, for fitness, as a commute option, a competitive sport or for charity. The rise of the MAML or Middle Aged Man in Lycra is an often used term! A better measure of the popularity of the sport is the 800 events organised annually in the Cycling Ireland calendar. 


From grassroots to elite level there are competitive Road, Off-road, BMX, CycloCross and Track events with leagues and racing 12 months of the year. On the Leisure and charity cycling side, every weekend a plethora of events take place all over the country, often providing a cash injection to local charities and communities. All of this happens through the volunteers who make up the 450 registered cycling clubs nationwide.

NFPE writes to Department on Counting of pre-appointment induction training period as regular service for the purpose of grant of MACP promotion







SB Order 09/2016 : Discontinuation of Public Provident Fund (PPF) Agency Scheme, Commission under Pay Roll Savings Schemes (PRSS) and Sanchayika Scheme with effect from 01/10/2016

Discontinuation of Public Provident Fund (PPF) Agency Scheme, Commission under Pay Roll Saving Schemes (PRSS) and Sanchiyaka scheme with effect from 01.10.2016




GDS BONUS CEILING ENHANCEMENT CASE

Com. R. N. Parashar, Secretary General and Com. Giriraj Singh, President NFPE met Member (P) Postal services Board on 23.09.2016 and discussed the GDS bonus ceiling enhancement case. Member (P) informed that as GDS Committee is functioning it is decided that the case is to be referred to GDS Committee for favourable recommendation. Accordingly the file has been sent to Chairman, GDS Committee.
         Com. R. N. Parashar, Secretary General, NFPE discussed the case with Shri. Kamlesh Chandra, Chairman, GDs Committee. Chairman assured that Committee will examine the case and give its recommendation without any delay. As Nataraja Murthy Committee has made adverse recommendations, Shri Kamlesh Chandra has told that he has to study the whole case before taking a decision. The issue will be again discussed with Chairman, GDS Committee when Secretary General, NFPE and Com. Panduranga Rao, General Secretary, AIPEU-GDS are meeting the Chairman in the first week of October 2016.
After getting recommendation of the GDS committee, the file is to be sent to Finance Ministry for approval.
HOLD PROTEST DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF ALL DIVISIONAL OFFICES AND CHIEF PMG OFFICES ON 3RDOCTOBER 2016
NFPE National Secretariat calls upon all Branch/Divisional/Circle Unions and Co-ordinating Committees to hold protest demonstrations in front of all Divisional offices and Circle offices on 3rd October 2016, protesting against the abnormal delay in granting enhanced bonus to GDs and also demanding immediate issuing orders for payment of enhanced bonus for the year 2014-15.
P. Panduranga Rao                                                                                           R. N. Parashar
General Secretary                                                                                            Secretary General
AIPEU GDS (NFPE)                                                                                               NFPE
 


Com. R. N. Parashar, Secretay General and Com. Giriraj Singh, President discussed the following issues also with DG (Posts), Member (P), DDG (Estt.) and JS & FA on 22nd and 23rd September 2016.
1.      GDS Bonus case
2.      Cadre Restructuring for left out categories
3.      Declaration of result of Membership verification
4.      GDS Membership verification
5.      Filling up of vacant post sin all cadres.
6.      Immediate holding of JCM Departmental Council meeting.
R. N. Parashar
Secretary General, NFPE
Source : http://www.aipeup3chq.com/ 

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

SB Order : 08/2016 - Clarification on treating the investment by guardian on behalf of minor and his own investment in Post Office Monthly Income Scheme - Regarding

Clarification on treating the investment by guardian on behalf of minor and his own investment in Post Office Monthly Income Scheme - Regarding

Corrigendum for distribution of Gangajal sourced at Gangotri through Post Offices

Now, post offices make testing soil easy for farmers



In a bid to make soil testing service accessible to farmers, department of post, Pune region, has launched a pilot initiative on Friday named Kisan Vigyan Doot (KVD) where farmers can submit their soil samples at the nearest post offices. The samples will be tested at the agencies and a report will be sent.






The project, announced at the postmaster general's office, is a facility spearheaded by the postal department in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Baramati. Sumitha Ayodhya, director of postal services, Pune region, told Mirror, "This is a first-of-itskind initiative that has been introduced in the state. Most farmers are either unaware of the importance of soil testing or the agencies are inaccessible to them, which leads to unsuitable cropping and eventually financial loss."


Pune region is spread over four districts — Pune, Satara, Solapur and Ahmednagar — consisting of 2,161 branches that operate in rural areas. "The rural post offices can collect soil samples from farmers and send it to the KVKs. India Post will act as the farmers' messenger with KVKs offering a perfect blend of its services. In the pilot stage, this initiative will be implemented at the branch offices of Pune Mofussil (MFL) division," said F B Sayyed, assistant postmaster general, Pune region.


Vivek Bhoite, subject matter specialist of soil testing, KVK, Baramati, stated that increasing urbanisation has weakened soil health. "Most of the farmers are unaware about soil health thus the fertility has worsened. Farmers have approached us for tests from Pune, Phaltan in Satara district, Ahmednagar, Solapur and Bhor tehsil. Currently, the entire process of submitting the samples to obtaining the results takes nearly eight days. With the implementation of the project, the time taken for the tests will reduce considerably," he said.


Farmers are also happy with the initiative undertaken by the postal department. Shyam Sunder Jaigude, a farmer from Bhor tehsil, said, "If this project works, it will benefit those who are forced to neglect their lands while the tests are being conducted."


KVK in Baramati is a Farm Science Centre at the district level that was established in August 1992 under the affiliation of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi .

Monday, September 19, 2016

Proud moment for Phulbani Division. Shri Rabindra Kumar Jani, Postman Selected for Odisha Postal Cricket Team.

Shri Rabindra Kumar Jani, Postman, Phulbani (O) HO has been Selected for Odisha Postal Cricket Team.

AIPEU, Phulbani congratulates him and wishes him best of luck.

Bi-Ennial Conference of AIPEU Postmen & MTS, Phulbani.

The bi-ennial conference of AIPEU Postman & MTS Phulbani held on 19.09.2016 at PRC, Phulbani.  Shri Rabinarayan Choudhury, Secreteray, AIPEU Gr C, Phulbani and Shri Padma Charan Sahani, Secretary, AIGDSU, were present in the conference. Shri Mrutyunjaya Pradhan, Shri Lalait Mohan Rana & Shri Mahendra Nayak were elected as President, Secretary & Treasurer respectively. On behalf of AIPEU Gr C, Phulbani Shri Rabinarayan Choudhury congratulated the new body.

                              Photos:
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DoP plans to recruit around 55,000 GDSs through online mode in November: B.V Sudhakar

HYDERABAD, SEPTEMBER 16:  
The Departments of Posts plans to recruit around 55,000 Grameen Dak Sevaks through online mode in November, B.V Sudhakar, Secretary, Department of Posts, said.

Addressing a Press Conference here on Friday, Sudhakar informed that the software required for online recruitment is at the testing stage and the online method will ensure transparency in this recruitment.

In order to address the grievances of the postal customers, the National Service Call Centre - 1924 - was launched on September 12, 2016. Customers can call from any network to this number and they will be given a unique 11-digit ticket ID to check the status of their complaint. Nearly 98 per cent grievances and complaints were resolved, he said in a statement.

Post Payment Bank

Explaining about the Post Payment Bank, he said the focus will be on Government to customer services by providing services like Direct Benefits Transfer, which could also be helpful in the financial inclusion. There will be no lending to the customers and deposits can be made up to Rs. 1 lakh.

Total 650 branches of post payment bank will be set up by May 2017 and nearly one lakh employees will work on this set up, he added.

Solar power

Sudhakar also informed to harness solar power, 4000 Postal buildings across country will utilize solar power in the coming days. To start with Postal Department headquarters at New Delhi will install Solar Power panels which can save up to Rs. 17 lakh of monthly power bill.

The business across Postal services registered growth with 3.8% growth in unregistered postal traffic, 6% in registered posts, 7.3% in Speed Post, 6.8% in savings banks mobilization and 25% growth in Philately, during 2015-16 as against 2014-15, he said.

Postal Department achieved business of Rs. 14, 900 crore as against planned target of Rs. 14, 600 crore, he added.

Source : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/dop-to-recruit-around-55000-gram-dak-sevaks/article9115590.ece

Holidays to be observed in Central Government Offices during the year 2017

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR INTERNET/MOBILE/SMS BANKING

Standard Operating Procedure for Internet/Mobile/SMS Banking


1.  Any Post Office Savings Account customer may apply for Internet/Mobile/SMS Banking facility. Savings Account must be standing at any CBS Post Office but not in Extra Departmental Branch Post Office in account with CBS Post Office.

2.Account Holder has to apply for Internet and/or Mobile and/or SMS Banking by filling ATM/eBanking/Mobile Banking Form. If Account holder has opened savings account after migration to CBS with proper KYC documents, there is no need for taking fresh KYC documents. If Account holder has opened Savings Account before migration, fresh Identity and Address proof as well as photograph has to be taken in Annexure-II of Account Opening Form(AOF) alongwith ATM/e-Banking/Mobile Banking Request Form.

3. This form has to be submitted only in the CBS Post Office where account was opened or where account is currently being operated after transfer. If a depositor of any account standing at any CBS post office wants to apply for E/M/SMS Banking at any other CBS Office, he/she has to first get his/her account transferred to the same CBS Post Office by following the already laid down procedure. In such cases CPA/SU should check the current SOL ID of the account which was transferred either in HACCDET or HACLI menu to confirm the same before enabling Internet/Mobile/SMS Banking.

4.Once Form alongwith required documents is submitted, Counter PA will go to IES menu of Finacle to verify signature of the applicant. If account is a Joint Account ‘B’ type, both the account holders have to sign the form and Joint Account ’A’ type of account holders cannot apply for these facilities.

5.Once customer’s signatures and other documents are verified, Counter PA has to see that all the required fields in the request form have been properly filled. Counter PA will go to CMRC menu and click on modify option. In CIF Modification menu, Counter PA has to click on Enable Internet banking and/or Enable Mobile Banking and/or enable SMS banking based on the options ticked by the applicant in request form. E Mail ID and Mobile Phone number are to be mandatorily filled by the Counter PA. See below screen shot:-

6.Supervisor has to verify the CIF modification in CMRC. After verification, Supervisor will make entry in a Register to be maintained in manuscript in CBS SO/HO showing following information:-
Date of apply- Date of delivery of PIN--Savings Account No.- Customer name-Mobile Number-E Mail ID- Signature of depositor- Initials of Supervisor
Depositor should be told to attend same CBS Post Office after 10 working days to get Internet Banking PIN. In case only Mobile banking facilities are applied, customer should be told to wait for 24 working hours and thereafter M PIN can be generated by the customer through the registered mobile number by downloading Mobile App. CIF ID will be the Login ID, both for Interest and Mobile Banking. In case of SMS banking, within 48 hours of applying, customer will get 4 digit PIN through SMS.

7. CPC Bangalore will print Internet banking PIN numbers and sent PINs to the respective CBS Post Office by service Insured Post. CPC Bangalore should keep sufficient stationary for PIN printing and dispatch. When any customer attend post office for getting PIN, Supervisor will enter date of delivery in the register and get deliver PIN mailer under signature in the register against the entry made on the day of accepting request form. Supervisor will initial against each entry. Customer should be told that CIF ID will be the Login ID and Login Password as well as Transaction Password should be changed after first login and should not be shared with anyone.

8.Facilities which can be availed by these account holders in Internet Banking, Mobile Banking and SMS Banking are attached. SMS Short Codes to be used by SMS Banking Account holders are also attached.

9.Every CBS Post Office has to paste this list of facilities and List Of Short Codes on the Public Notice Board.

10.LOTs and Consolidation of SB,RD,TD and PPF have been changed. A new selection criteria "Delivery Channel ID" has been added with default value as "BRN". When click on searcher, it shows following channels:-
BRN-Branch Transactions
BWY- E-Banking -M-Banking Chanel ID
SWT-ATM Channel ID
In BRN, all counter/system transactions done for a SOL will be shown. In BWY, all transactions done through Internet/Mobile Banking by Savings Account holders of a SOL will be shown. In SWT, all transactions done through ATM attached with the SOL will be shown. By default, BRN will be displayed in these LOTs and consolidation. Any CBS SO/HO should not account for transactions listed in BWY and SWT channel IDs. These offices can only see these reports in case of any complaint/grievance/inquiry.

11.Only Bangalore GPO will generate SB,RD,TD and PPF Consolidation by selecting BWY as channel ID and putting ALL as Set ID in the MIS server for the previous working day and account for total amount shown under different heads in the cash book showing amount as (Through E&M Banking). One deposit and one withdrawal voucher for the total amount (scheme-wise) has to be prepared by Bangalore GPO and transferred to SBCO alongwith printed copy of consolidation.

12.For any complaint regarding Internet/Mobile/SMS banking, customer has to either dial toll free number 1800-425-2440 or send an e-mail to postatm@indiapost.gov.in. If customer complains at any CBS Post Office, his/her complaint may be accepted and forwarded to this e-mail ID. CPC Bangalore will handle such complaints till further orders.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Aadhaar card now must for Government Schemes, Benefits

HIGHLIGHTS


  • Aadhaar identity cards will be made mandatory for all government subsidies and benefits.
  • Ministries will have to notify schemes for which Aadhaar number is required.
  • In case someone does not have Aadhaar, he will be asked to enrol for the same.
NEW DELHI: The use of Aadhaar card+ is set to become mandatory for all central and state government subsidies and benefits which require funding from the central exchequer with the Centre notifying the unique identity (UID) regulations.
While the law had empowered the Centre to mandate use of Aadhaar, the rules clearly stipulate that any agency, such as the oil ministry dealing with cooking gas+ or HRD's scholarship schemes, has to ensure all beneficiaries are enrolled under UID+ . For this, they have been asked to tie up with registrars or enrol individuals themselves.


"Ministries will have to notify schemes for which Aadhaar number is required. In case someone does not have Aadhaar, he will be asked to enrol for the same. If you are asking for Aadhaar and if enrollment facilities are not in a convenient location, the agency has to ensure that people are not left in the lurch," said Ajay Bhushan Pandey, CEO of the UID Authority of India (UIDAI).
Pandey also said the regulations strongly address privacy concerns over Aadhaar misuse+ by incorporating a three-year jail term for an offence. "The big brother concern has been dealt with. If a government or private entity uses Aadhaar number for some other purpose... if a company shares the data, it becomes a criminal offence," Pandey said.
The particular clause has been inserted to address concerns raised by civil society groups that mandating Aadhaar will exclude genuine beneficiaries, who do not possess a UID, from government schemes. The rules mean the onus will now be on agencies like oil companies or banks to make sure beneficiaries have Aadhaar numbers to access benefits ranging from subsidies and pensions.
Though the Supreme Court had earlier held Aadhaar could not be made mandatory for government schemes while extending "voluntary use" of UID numbers to MGNREGA, pensions, cooking gas, PDS, EPF and Jan Dhan accounts, the new law and its regulations will help the Centre expand the ambit of UID to virtually all government schemes.
The data security rules make it incumbent for UIDAI, registrars, enrolling agencies, companies and authentication service providers to observe a strict protocol. "The rules require every entity seeking to use Aadhaar to preserve information for a certain number of years and be subject to an audit," Pandey said, adding that an entity seeking Aadhaar will need consent to disclose the information each time it wants to share the data.
The regulations also provide more leeway for capturing biometric information. In cases where fingerprints are not easily registered, like in the case of elderly persons, iris scans will do. This has been added to existing flexibility for persons with disabilities or injuries.
Top CommentIts good that India is moving towards the digital world. I also appreciate Modi government that they didn''t scrap the Adhar card as they were saying when UPA government introduce. So BJP and Modi wh...Read MoreSamijsr
Pandey said with over 105 crore enrolments and six lakh added daily, nearly 98% of adults had been registered and 75% of those in the 5-18 year age segment were also part of the world's largest bio-metric ID programme. This significantly reduces the possibility of exclusion on a large scale and makes seeding schemes with Aadhaar easier
 
Source-SA Post