Thursday 25 January 2018

Happy Republic Day-2018



Taiwan's Postal Service Going Green, Launches Electric Scooters



TAIPEI-- Chunghwa Post Co., Taiwan's national postal service, officially put 1,627 electric scooters into service Monday as part of a company plan to phase out its entire fleet of nearly 9,000 gasoline-powered motorcycles by 2023, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

In line with the Cabinet's new air pollution control action plan,the state-run company last year began planning to gradually phase out its gasoline-powered motorcycles and replace them with electric ones, said Deputy Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai.

The air pollution control action plan, unveiled last year, lays out several targets: cut in half the number of air quality red alert days by 2019, replace all public vehicles with electric-powered ones by 2030, and require all scooters and cars to go electric by 2035 and 2040, respectively.

Chunghwa Post will fully replace all its 8,946 gasoline-powered motorcycles with electric ones by 2023, about 12 years earlier than the government's scheduled 2035 for a full ban on sale of gasoline-powered motorcycles, according to the company.

The 1,627 electric scooters will be used in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Kaohsiung, and in Yilan County and offshore Penghu County.


Chunghwa Post said the change is expected to dramatically reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions.
Source : http://www.malaysiandigest.com

Confederation writes to DoPT regarding revision of Minimum Wages payable to Temporary status Casual Labourers

 

 Ref: Confdn/Genl/2016-19                                                              Dated - 25.01.2018

To,
Shri Ajay Mittal
Secretary
Department of Personnel & Training
Ministry of Personnel, PG and Pension
Government of India
North Block, New Delhi – 110001

Sir,

Sub: -  Revision of Minimum Wages payable to Temporary status Casual Labourers – reg.

Ref:      Your office letter No. 49014/1/2017-Estt (C) dated 16th August 2017.

Please refer to your office letter cited above copy of which is enclosed herewith for ready reference. It was informed that the matter of revision of wages payable to Temporary status Casual Labourers is under consideration.

We regret to inform you that the orders of revising the wages of Temporary status Casual Labourers with effect from 01.01.2016 is yet to be issued, eventhough the orders revising the pay of Central Government employees was issued on 25.07.2016.

It is once again requested to take necessary action in this regard, so that issuing of orders will be expedited.

With regards,
Encls: as above
Yours faithfully,
(M. Krishnan)
Member, Standing Committee
National Council JCM &
Secretary General,
Confederation of Central Govt.Employees & Workers
Mob: 09447068125
Email: mkrishnan6854@gmail.com

Wednesday 24 January 2018

Cases of promotion taking place in the pre-revised pay structure between 1.1.2006 and the date of notification of RS(RP)Rules, 2008 and the subsequent merger of the pre-revised pay scales of the promotional and feeder posts in a common grade - Fixation of Pay - JCM (Staff Side) writes to The Secretary, Ministry of Finance



JCM NC (Staff Side) writes to DoPT on CCS (RP) Rules, 2016

JCM NC (Staff Side) writes to the Cabinet Secretary on new Contributory Pension Scheme


JCM NC (Staff Side) writes to DoPT on MACP


INDIA POST PAYMENTS BANK WILL GIVE POSTMEN SMART PHONES FOR DOORSTEP BANKING TO CUSTOMERS PREDOMINANTLY IN RURAL AREAS


            New Delhi: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) will press into service postmen equipped with smartphones to go door to door and will open 3,250 customer access points across 650 districts when it launches operations in March, seeking to cater largely to under-banked rural areas.

            The bank will leverage the 155,000 technologically upgraded post offices, of which 129,000 are in rural areas, as well as the existing customer base of India Post, Anant Narayan Nanda, secretary, department of posts, and chairman of IPPB, said in an interview.

            A special dispensation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will enable the payments bank to link accounts of existing post office savings bank customers and let them access both on the same screen and perform transactions.

            According to Nanda, this will give a huge fillip to existing customers. India Post has around 170 million savings bank accounts.

            “By December 2018, 2 lakh postmen and gramin dak sewaks carrying mobile phones will offer doorstep banking to customers predominantly in rural areas. Eventually, this number will increase to 3.5 lakh,” Nanda said.

            The bank plans to start with 3,250 access points—five each in 650 districts—and scale up the number every month. It will employ 3,000 people—roughly half the staff will be on deputation from state-run banks and India Post.

            The bank is in the process of training postmen to carry out basic banking facilities such as opening bank accounts and conducting transactions on the mobile phone. Besides assisting customers, the postmen will also teach them how to perform transactions on their own. They will receive monetary incentives for both assisted and eventually self-service transactions.

            Customers will be able to access a range of services including net banking, National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), Real-time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and Immediate Payment Service (IMPS). They will be able to pay utility bills, invest in mutual funds and buy insurance products on the app.

            The gramin dak sevaks and postmen will be trained by banking institutions. An internal survey by the department showed that between 70% and 80% of postmen use smartphones for personal use and are active on social networking sites and should be able to use the app with ease, Nanda said.

            At present, the post office accepts payments of around Rs46,000 crore in cash every year. With the entire network moving towards accepting digital payments, a significant portion of this amount could be handled by the banking network, an indication of the potential available for business.

            IPPB is 100% owned by India Post; it received a payments bank license from RBI in January 2017 and has begun operations on a pilot basis in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

            India has three other operational payment banks—Airtel Payments Bank, Paytm Payments Bank and Fino Payments Bank.

            “India Post does have the largest reach in the rural parts of the country and the idea of financial inclusion through postmen seems very promising,” said Ashish Aggarwal, a consultant at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. “However, the execution has to be well done to have mass impact. The postmen need to be well-trained and equipped as even basic banking involves much more than delivering courier (packages) and letters,” he added.

komal.g@livemint.com

Thursday 18 January 2018

Budget 2018: Why government may increase section 80C limit

In the upcoming budget, the government may announce certain measures that can increase your take-home pay which will allow you to save more.

Although there are several measures that the government may introduce, one way of doing this could be increasing the section 80C limit of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

Out of the various deductions available under the Act, section 80C is primarily an investment-led tax avenue that helps in reducing one's tax liability. Further, it helps in increasing savings of individuals that can help them meet their financial goals. "We expect Budget 2018 to increase the Section 80C investment limit for tax saving from the current Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh," says Sonu Iyer, tax partner and people advisory services leader, EY. " The increase in the limit is warranted to account for inflation. These increases would entail loss of revenue for the exchequer but they were also needed to keep the limits in line with inflation, she explained.

In Budget 2018, section 80C could see an increase in its limit from the existing Rs 1.5 lakh a year to Rs 2 lakh or possibly even higher. However, the increase may be restricted to one or two specific tax-saving products within the section 80C basket. The exemption limit was last raised in the 2014-15 budget where it was increased from Rs 1 lakh a year to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Current 80C basket

Currently, section 80C allows deduction from gross total income (before arriving at taxable income) of up to Rs 1.5 lakh per annum on one or more eligible investments and specified expenses. Eligible investments includes life insurance, equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS), Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC), five-year notified tax-saving bank deposits, five-year post office time deposits, Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme (SCSS), Sukanya Samriddhi Account, Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) etc., while expenses and outflows can include tuition fees, principal repayment of home loan, among others. One can invest the entire amount of Rs 1.5 lakh in one investment or diversify across more than one.

Why the limit should be increased

The section 80C cap of Rs 1.5 lakh may not be enough for several taxpayers and many may not be in a position to use it fully and optimally.

If the limit gets exhausted involuntarily through a mix of EPF contributions, tuition fees and home loan principal repayments, the additional incentive to save through investments like PPF, ELSS or term life insurance may not be much unless an individual tax payer is financially savvy enough to manage his financial planning properly.

For instance, salaried individuals with high basic salary may see a major portion of section 80C get exhausted by the EPF contributions itself. Then there are those taxpayers paying children's tuition fees and/or paying equated monthly instalments on a home loan; for such people there could see little room left to make use of the section 80C tax benefits, after claiming for these expenses. So, if the limit is increased, taxpayers would be able to save more tax and plan their finances better.

How much extra savings

If the section 80C limit is increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to say, Rs. 2 lakh, the additional tax saved will be Rs 2,575, Rs 10,300 and Rs 15,450 for those in the 10, 20 and 30 percent tax bracket, respectively. On an investment of Rs 2 lakh, the total tax saved would then be Rs 61,800 for the highest tax rate (see below).



If the section 80 C limit is raised, the corresponding increase may either be a blanket increase or may just be restricted to few tax-saving products. Here are few such tax savers that may see a separate limit within the overall cap of section 80C.

Home loan

With the government's push on the housing front and the ordeal faced by many home buyers in recent times, there could be some incentives for home buyers. The tax benefit on the principal amount repaid on a home loan could see an additional benefit of Rs 50,000. While the existing home loan takers can use the prepayment feature to benefit out of it, new borrowers will get an additional incentive to take home loans.

ELSS

If not home loan, the increase in section 80C limit may be restricted only for investments in ELSS - equity mutual funds schemes with 3 year lock-in and tax benefits. With the equity culture showing signs of promising growth as seen by increasing systematic investment plans (SIPs) folios and volume, the government may want to take this opportunity and provide additional tax incentives for equity investors to plan for their long-term needs.

Term insurance plans

The penetration of life insurance has always been talked about in terms of premium to gross domestic product (GDP) of a country. The true measure of life insurance coverage is from the sum assured (the amount that an insurer is legally bound to pay on occurrence of an event like maturity or death). And according to some estimates and reports, it is insurance coverage is abysmally low for majority of the population. Illustratively, a Rs 3 lakh - Rs 5 lakh (sum assured) policy that one holds, falls several times short of what you will actually need. Most financial planners suggest life insurance cover of at least 10 times one's annual income with a review every five years.

If Budget 2018 increases the section 80C limit for term insurance plans it could help increase insurance coverage (in terms of sum assured) in the country. This could also help surviving members of families to maintain their standard of living after the death of household earner.

Over 4 lakh central govt posts vacant as on Mar 2016: Report

NEW DELHI: Over 4 lakh posts were lying vacant across various central government departments as on March 1, 2016, according to a finance ministry report.

Although the number of vacancies in the central government civilian jobs came down from over 6 lakhs as on March 1, 2013, to 4.21 lakh as on March 1, 2014. However, the number of job vacancies remained more or less at the same level in subsequent years as it was in 2014, the report suggested.

As on March 1, 2016the total number of vacant posts were 15,284 in group A; 26,310 in group B (gazetted); and 49,740 in group B (non-gazetted). There were as many as 3,21,418 vacancies in group C (non-gazetted).

The total number of job vacancies stood at 4,12,752, said the report on 'Pay and Allowances of Central Government Civilian Employees for 2016-17.'

Wednesday 17 January 2018

Implementation of the recommendation of the 7th Central Pay Commission to the pensioners/family pensioners of autonomous Bodies / statutory Bodies regarding.


CGHS ORDERS

GDS RESULTS DECLARED

GDS RESULTS DECLARED 

FOR CIRCLES


1. GUJARAT
2. TAMIL NADU
3. HIMACHAL PRADESH
4. JHARKHAND
5. ASSAM
6. DELHI
TO KNOW THE RESULTS PLEASE CLICK BELOW LINK :

NFPE Notice on 5 days Relay Dharna from 12th to 16th February 2018

National Federation of Postal Employees
1st Floor North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi-110 001
Phone: 011.23092771                                                    e-mail: nfpehq@gmail.com
       Mob: 9868819295/9810853981                      website: http://www.nfpe.blogspot.com
                                       
NO.PF-12/2018                                                                            Dated.:17 January,2018

NOTICE

            It is hereby notified that National Federation of Postal Employees will organize 5 days Relay Dharna from 12th to 16th February 2018 in Chief PMG Office Campus ., Meghdoot Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001.

            All Members/Leaders of NFPE Unions are requested to participate in Dharna in maximum number  as per schedule enclosed herewith for settlement of 15 Points Charter of Demands.

(R.N. Parashar)
Secretary General
Enclose as above:
Copy to
1. The Secretary Deptt. of Posts , Dak Bhawan New Delhi-110 001.
2. The Addl. DG/DDG (SR) /Director (SR), Dak Bhawan,New Delhi-110 001
3. The Chief PMG, Delhi Circle, New Delhi.
4. The S.H.O.  Mandir Marg, Police Station. New Delhi.
5.  All General Secretaries/All India Office Bearers, Circle Secretaries/Divisional & Branch Secretaries of NFPE Unions.
           
                                                                                                     (R N Parashar)
Secretary General
 ________________________
  
SCHEDULE OF  PARTICIPATION  IN 5 DAYS RELAY DHARNA AT MEGHDOOT BHAWAN, NEW DELHI
FROM 12th TO 16th FEBRUARY-2018

DATE
CIRCLES
QUOTA FOR EACH CIRCLE
REMARKS
12.02.18
Andhra  Pradesh
100



(1) All NFPE Unions Circle Secretaries should convene meetings and allot quota to each union and book the tickets to and fro journey in advance to avoid inconvenience.




(ii) All General Secretaries /NFPE Office bearers and All India leaders of All NFPE unions will remain present all the days. Respective CHQ will make their arrangements for stay.
Telengana
75
J&K
15
Himachal Pradesh
30
Punjab
50
Delhi
100
13.02.18
Kerala
100
Karnataka
100
Haryana
50
Uttarakhand
30
Rajasthan
100
14.02.18
Tamilnadu
100
Maharashtra
100
Assam
30
North East
15
UP(Eastern)
75
15.02.18
West Bengal
100
Odisha
75
Bihar
75
Jharkhand
50
16.02.18
UP (West)
100
Madhya Pradesh
100
Chhattisgarh
50
Gujarat
100



CHARTER OF DEMANDS

1. Implementation of positive recommendations of Kamlesh Chandra Committee Report for GDS

2. Membership verification of GDS and declaration of result of regular membership verification.

3. Filling up of all vacant posts in all Cadres of Deptt of Post i.e P.A.S.A, Postmen, Mail guard, mailmen, MTS,MMS Drivers and artisans, P.A CO. P.A SBCO, Postal Actts and GDS. Drop the move of amendment in P.A. S.A., P.A.CO & P.A. SBCO Recruitment Rules.

4. Implement CSI, and RICT only after providing all required infrastructure including band width and stop harassment , victimization in the name of new schemes   , technology induction, under contributory negligence factor and trade union victimization.

5. Stop out sourcing privatization and Corporatization.

6. Payment of revised wages and arrears to the casual, part time, contingent and daily rated mazdoors as per  6th & 7th CPC  and settle other issues of Casual Laboures.

7. Implement cadre restructuring for left out categories i.e. RMS, MMS, PACO, PASBCO Postmaster Cadre, Postal Actts etc and accept the modifications suggested by federation before implementation of cadre restructuring in Postal Group ‘C’.

8. Withdraw N.P.S (contributory Pension Scheme) Guarantee 50% of last pay drawn as minimum pension.

9. Implement 5 days week in Postal Operative offices.

10.  Stop move of diversion of business of P.O SB Schemes to Banks (Nationalized and Private)

11. Stop move of closure of Army Postal Service.

12. Grant OSA and OTA to RMS staff and special allowances for P.O & R.M.S Accounts.

13. Finalization of Recruitment Rules of AAOS IN Postal Accounts with 40% S.C.F quota as approved by DOPT.

14. Status of Audit to SBCO.

15. Benefit of SDBS to retried GDS employees.