Thursday 26 April 2018

One day mass dharna by AIPEU, Group - C on 25.04.2018















POSTAL STAFFS STAGE DEMO BEFORE PMG OFFICE

Members of the All India Postal Employees’ Union Group-C, Odisha Circle held a demonstration in front of the office of the Chief Postmaster General here on Wednesday pressing for fulfilment of their five-point charter of demands.   

The demands included filling up all vacant posts of PA Cadre and HSG-I, HSG-II before implementation of cadre restructuring after giving one-time relaxation in recruitment rules, implementing CSI after RICT and after developing proper infrastructure, stopping harassment and victimisation under contributory negligence factor in the name of implementation of new schemes and to achieve unscientific target.

The demands also included stopping outsourcing, privatisation and contractorisation and declaring result of membership verification at the earliest.

Union circle secretary Bruhaspati Samal said that despite several discussions with the authorities of the Department of Posts at various forums, no steps have been taken to resolve the problems of the Group 'C' postal employees.

Even the assurances given by the department in the earlier meetings have not been fulfilled till now; and many issues raised by the union remain unsettled over years, he added.


The members threatened that if the demands are not fulfilled, they would opt for an indefinite strike in coming days.
Source : Odisha Pioneer, dated 26.04.2018

Tuesday 24 April 2018

AYMENT OF DEARNESS ALLOWANCE TO GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS (GDS) EFFECTIVE 01.01.2018

No. 14-3l2016-PAP
Government of India
Ministry of Communication
Department of Posts
(Establishment Division)/P.A.P. Section

 Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg
New Delhi - 110 001
Dated:24th April,2018

To,

             All Chief Postmaster General
             All G.Ms. (PAF)/Directors of Accounts (Posts).

Subject: Payment of Dearness Allowance to Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) effective                         01.01.2018 onwards -reg.

            Consequent upon grant of another instalment of Dearness Allowance with effect from 1st January,2018 to the Central Government Employees vide Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure's O.M. No. 1/1/2OL8-E-II (B) dated 15.03.2018, duly endorsed vide this Department's letters No. 8-1/2016-PAP dated 19.03.2018 and Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure OM No.1/3/2008-E.ll(B) dated 28.03.2018, the Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) have also become entitled to the payment of Dearness Allowances on basic TRCA at the same rates as applicable to Central Government Employees with effect from 01.01.2018. lt has, therefore, been decided that the Dearness Allowance payable to the Gramin Dak Sevaks shall be enhanced from the existing rate of 139% to !42% on the basic Time Related Continuity Allowance, with effect from the 1st January, 2018.

 2.        The Dearness Allowance payable under this order shall be paid in cash to all Gramin Dak  Sevaks.

3. The expenditure on this account shall be debited to the Head "Salaries" under the relevant head of account and should be met from the sanctioned grant.

 4. This issues with the concurrence of Integrated Finance Wing vide their Diary No 05 /A/2018/CS dated  24.04.2018.
                                                                                                                                                                 Sd/-
R L Patel
Assistant Director General (E stt.)

Friday 20 April 2018

UPU News : E-commerce stakeholders talk addressing

20.04.2018 - Some 150 representatives from Posts, international organizations and the private sector gathered at the UPU Global Addressing Forum April 19 to discuss addressing innovations toward better delivery of e-commerce.

A participant captures the keynote speech given by Amazon U.S. Principal Project Manager, Christophe Charpentier, during the UPU Global Addressing Forum.
Hosted by the UPU within the Postal Operations Council, the forum had panellists from both the Post and private sector—including Amazon, Alibaba and Siemens—examine changing addressing needs in the context of growing cross-border trade resulting from online shopping.
“Accurate and efficient addressing system is a key component to timely delivery of postal items, especially in e-commerce business. Addressing that fails to meet international standards reduces the efficiency of the supply chain and incurs significant additional costs, which must be borne by our member countries,” said UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein during the forum’s opening.
Panellists touched on the price of bad addressing, as undeliverable items rack up costs as they are returned through the supply chain. Participants identified several urgent needs to prevent this issue, including the need for better communication between e-commerce platforms, origin Posts and destination Posts. This could include more detailed electronic data exchange between players and an international database that would facilitate the validation of addresses.
Mr. Hussein noted that, while the postal sector must find solutions that meet customer demands for flexibility in their delivery time and location, it cannot leave behind the many who lack a physical address altogether.
“We must also recognize that many people in the world do not have any form of physical address, which excludes them from all sorts of services, ranging from banking, emergency services, taxation and physical delivery of goods,” he said.
He added that UPU data shows only one-third of countries or territories update and provide detailed postal addressing data at street level, meaning much of the world’s population is left out of the modern global market.
Both designated postal operators and private partners recognized the Post’s role as an authoritative source of addressing, noting their prime position to implement innovations to further improve national addressing systems.
On the international front, they agreed the UPU was the best place to unite stakeholders and would have a role to play in ensuring an open system is available to the market, promoting international standards and prioritizing addressing in its global strategy.
In his closing remarks, UPU Deputy Director General Pascal Clivaz called on stakeholders outside the UPU’s membership to stay engaged in the conversation with Posts by joining the Consultative Committee, a UPU body that represents the interests of the wider postal sector and provides a framework for effective dialogue.

Plenary of Postal Operations Council opens; witnesses new agreement on helping to stem opioid tide

19.04.2018 - Opening the plenary session of the Postal Operations Council, the Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Bishar A. Hussein underscored the UN specialized agency’s need to provide modern products targeted at today’s postal sector.

UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein and INCB President Viroj Sumyai signed the cooperation agreement during the Postal Operations Council plenary session.
“Providing modern products that suit today’s market and customer requirements is the only way to enable the Posts to take part in the great opportunities created by e-commerce,” he told the packed assembly hall of representatives of member countries. 
Mr. Hussein emphasized that, in order to meet market expectations, UPU must work closely with member countries to facilitate capacity building. He said by doing so, the organization was helping to ensure the sustainability of the postal sector and was focused on the modernization of postal financial services for its member countries.
“With this in mind, we can note with satisfaction that there have been significant developments in postal payment services and supporting tools in line with Istanbul Congress decisions," Mr. Hussein added. 
In a ceremony also held at the plenary, UPU signed a cooperation agreement with the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The new agreement takes place against the background of a spiraling epidemic in overdose deaths fueled by powerful fentanyl-related substances that can be 50 times more deadly than heroin.
There are concerns that Postal Services may be unwittingly delivering the substances leading to fears over postal worker safety due to possible contamination. In remarks at the signing, Mr. Hussein said, “We face a growing public health crisis due to synthetic opioids and other highly toxic substances and UPU is proud to work alongside INCB to protect postal employees, and the health of people everywhere.”   
The agreement seeks to promote technical assistance and training designed to increase cooperation against trafficking and improve the detection and seizure of these substances. UPU and INCB will also share information on trends and patterns in drug movements, as well as specific INCB information on known sources of dangerous chemicals, as well as alerts on concerned substances.
In his own address, the President of the INCB, Viroj Sumyai, said, “Today’s global drug landscape is far more complex and challenging than 30 years ago, when the last international drug control treaty was signed. Now there is a specific urgency to stem the increasing illicit flow of deadly fentanyl-related substances wherever they are encountered.”
The Council consists of 40 member countries and is geared towards helping Posts modernize and upgrade their postal products and services. It deals with the operational, economic and commercial aspects of the postal business. Running from 16 April to 20 April, the Council was attended this year by around 350 participants. 

PFRDA prescribes New NPS Subscriber Registration Form

Ministry of Finance

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority prescribes New NPS Subscriber Registration Form – Additional Mandatory Requirements

Posted On: 20 APR 2018 11:27AM by PIB Delhi
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has been established by the Government of India for regulation and development of Pension Sector in order to protect the old age income security of subscribers. PFRDA takes various initiatives from time to time in order to simplify and improve the operational issues in National Pension System (NPS) like new functionality development under NPS architecture, simplification of account opening, withdrawal, grievance management etc. In this regard, it has been decided by the Authority to make bank account details and mobile no. mandatory to provide ease of operation for the benefit of subscribers and make the process of Exit from NPS hassle free.

Further, in compliance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act guidelines issued by the Government of India, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and Central Registry of Securitization Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest (CERSAI) have been made mandatory for new as well as existing subscribers. These have been made mandatory in the new Common Subscriber Registration Form (CSRF) forms that are required to be filled in by the new subscribers. The existing subscribers have been provided the facility to submit online FATCA Self-Certification in their login (www.cra-nsdl.com or https://enps.karvy.com/Login/Login ). The information regarding the said functionality is also made available on Central Record-keeping Agency (CRA) websites. The steps to be followed by the subscriber to submit online FATCA self-certification are also mentioned on the website.

It is to be ensured by the subscribers to fill the mandatory fields correctly and not leave them blank in order to avoid rejection of their forms.

CHQ's appeal to make one day dharna programme on 25.04.2018 successful

All Circle, Divisional and Branch Secretaries are requested to make maximum efforts to make one day Dharna on 25th April 2018 for settlement of long pending demands of P3 sectional issues in front of all CPMG Offices by mobilizing maximum members to participate in Dharna.
 
R. N. Parashar
General Secretary

ALL INDIA POSTAL EMPLOYEES UNION GROUP 'C'
CHQ: 2151/1, D. G. Bhawan, New Patel Road, N. D.- 110008

Ref: P/4-4/Demands                                                                        Dated – 05.03.2018

To,

Shri. A. N. Nanda,
Secretary
Department of Posts,
Dak Bhawan New Delhi – 110001

Sir,

Sub: -  Undue and arbitrary delay in considering the staff problems pertaining to Group ‘C’

This union is constrained to bring it to your kind notice that despite various correspondences and discussions, there is not even an inch improvement in major problems pertaining to the Group ‘C’ cadre. Even the assured items in the earlier meetings have not been resolved till now.

Many issues raised by this union remain unsettled over years together. The Central Working committee meeting of this union held at Patna on 26.02.2018 & 27.02.2018, after thread bare discussions has resolved to submit the details of pending issues to your kind notice for immediate settlement and in the event of non-settlement, it was decided organize action programme culminating to direct action shortly.

The issues in which there is no settlement or improvement so far are compiled in the form of charter of demands is enclosed along with this letter.

It is pertinent to say that we have been forced to launch programme of action despite the fact that we intend peace and amity purely due to the lethargic and protracted delay in disposal of staff grievances and demands by the Directorate.

It is requested to intervene and settle the problems contained in the Charters to ensure industrial peace and tranquility.

May I seek your response Sir,

With profound regards,

DA: as above

Yours sincerely,


(R.N.Parashar)
General Secretary

Copy to: -
Director (SR & Legal) for information & N/A
Secretary General, NFPE
Com. J.Ramamurthy, President, CHQ
All CHQ office bearers/Circle secretaries
Press

CHARTER OF DEMANDS

1.      (a) Fill up all vacant posts of PA Cadre
      (b) Fill up all vacant posts of HSG-I, HSG-II before implementation of cadre restructuring after giving one time relaxation in recruitment rules.

2.      Implement CSI after RICT and after developing proper infrastructure.

3.      Stop harassment and victimization under contributory negligence factor, trade union victimization, in the name of implementation of new schemes and to achieve unscientific targets.

4.      Stop outsourcing, privatization and contractorization.

5.      Declare result of membership verification.


PROGRAMME OF ACTION

1.      Lunch hour demonstration on 12th & 13th March 2018.

2.      Black Badge wearing on 20th & 21st March 2018 containing demands.

3.      Mass Dharna in front of all Chief PMGs offices on 25th April 2018.

4.      Indefinite Strike – Date will be announced later with consultation to NFPE.

Thursday 19 April 2018

Limited Departmental Competitive Examination for recruitment to AAO cadre of IP&TAFS Group 'B' for the year 2018-19

Constitution of the Formulary Committee for new edition of Postal Formulary for the year 2018-2020

Parcel Directorate inaugurated by Shri Manoj Sinha

Ministry of Communications

Parcel Directorate inaugurated by Shri Manoj Sinha

Posted On: 19 APR 2018 5:07PM by PIB Delhi
Inaugurating the newly created Parcel Directorate in the Department of Posts here, Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Railways ShriManoj Sinha said, “This is another significant step in the journey of transformation that DoP has embarked upon.  I expect this Directorate to act as a catalyst for growing our business, and providing efficient and cost-effective service to our customers.”
The global decline in letter mail, and India being no exception to this trend, has been offset by an increase in packets and parcels. This is primarily on account of the e-commerce boom in India, with e-tailers requiring integrated collection, aggregation, sorting, transmission and delivery systems. The parcel market (logistics and distribution but excluding fulfilment and merchandise value) in the country is growing at a rate of 15% per annum and is expected to reach Rs. 60,000 Crore by 2026 from the existing Rs. 18,000 Crore.
India Post has undertaken the Parcel Network Optimization Project during November, 2016 to revamp the parcel operations.  Steps are being taken to address parcel- specific requirements, including network rationalization, strengthening processing hubs and delivery centres, ensuring security, etc. Additionally, in order to ensure the timely and secure transmission of parcels, the Department has operationalized road transport routes.
It has now been decided that a separate Directorate for parcels and E-commerce will be setup within the Department, which shall be headquartered in New Delhi. The Directorate will be along the lines of the PLI Directorate and the Business Development Directorate, which were set up earlier to bring focused attention into the PLI business and other business development activities of the Department.The traditional mail business and marketing of the Department will continue to be handled by the existing divisions.

UPU facilitates international postal payments

19.04.2018 - Member countries participating in meetings at the UPU headquarters in Berne yesterday signed a multilateral agreement that will facilitate access to those sending international electronic money transfers through the Post.

Cambodia, Cameroon and Morocco signed the agreement during the UPU's Postal Operations Council meeting
The Post, with one of the largest networks in the world comprising more than 670,000 postal outlets worldwide, is an essential point of access for those wishing to send money to even the most remote corners of the globe at low cost.
The agreement will help speed up the opening of payment corridors, reducing the need for bilateral agreements between each of the UPU member countries which are signatories of the Postal Payments Services Agreement. It will have parties exchange payments under the PosTransfer collective trademark and establishes general conditions for areas such as remuneration and expected quality of service standards.
Cambodia, Cameroon and Morocco were present to sign the agreement during the meeting of the UPU’s Postal Operations Council, the body responsible for operational, commercial and technical matters. France, Mauritania and Tunisia had already signed the agreement, while Bangladesh, Iran, Moldova, and Senegal confirmed their intention to sign.

3 Days Relay Hunger Fast by AIPEU GDS concluded successfully on 19.04.2018 by NFPE Odisha

Com. R N Dhal, General Secretary, CCGE&W Odisha State CoC and AIPRPA, Odisha State Committee and former Leader, RJCM (Staff Side), Odisha Circle Branch inaugurated the 3rd Day Programme

Com. Bruhaspati Samal, Chairman of the NFPE CoC, Odisha Circle and Circle Secretary, AIPEU, Group-C, Odisha presided over the Dharana. 
  
Apart from the Divisional and Circle Secretaries, the programme was addressed by Com. Bamadeb Mishra, Convenor of  Bhubaneswar City Coordination Committee of Unions and Associations and Joint Secretary All Odisha General Insurance Employees Associations, Com. Jagadish Jena from AOBEFI and  Com. Harihar Acharya from BEFI.  

Many GDS Comrades from many Dvns attended. Com. Jogesh Ch Sahoo, working President of AIPEU - GDS CHQ attended and addressed  along with Com. Nirmal Singh, Circle Secretary AIPEU GDS, Odisha Circle and Com. Here Krushna Sahoo Circle President of AIPEU GDS , Odisha Circle.

Participation was quite satisfactory.

Red Salute to all comrades who attended.

= B SAMAL =
Chairman, NFPE, Odisha State CoC



Wednesday 18 April 2018

Circle Union writes to PMG, Berhampur on violation of CCS (RSA) Rules, 1993 and Directorate guidelines in collection of letters of authorization by SPOs, Aska Division.



No. P3NFPEOdisha / Aska Dn. – 05 / 2018
Dated at Bhubaneswar the 18th April, 2018
To
The Postmaster General
Berhampur  Region
Berhampur – 760 001

Sub:   Violation of CCS (RSA) Rules, 1993 and Directorate guidelines in collection of letters of authorization by SPOs, Aska Division.

Respected Sir,
              We are enclosing here with the copy of letter No. B/G-52/Misc(Vfn)/Ch.V, dated 16.04.2018 issued by SPOs, Aska Division to the Divisional Secretaries of all Unions/Associations of Aska Division with instruction to submit the membership verification form containing the signature of the SPOs, Aska Division which completely violates the CCS(RSA) Rules, 1993.

In this context, we would like to intimate that only during re-verification process conducted in every 5 years by the Department, the Specimen Letter of Authorization containing the signature of the Director (SR & Legal), Dak Bhawan, New Delhi are submitted as per the instruction of the Directorate. There is no such provision for submission of the annual membership verification forms (Letters of Authorization) containing any officer’s signature. Only the proforma Letters of Authorization collected from the new members by the respective Divisional Secretaries are to be submitted every year on or before 30th April.

As clarified vide Directorate letter No. 18/03/2011-SR, dated 28.07.2011 the signature of the Director (SR & Legal), Dak Bhawan has no relevance in regard to letters of authorization  which may be used for change of option or for seeking new membership in the month of April every year. All the letters of authorization whether bearing the signature of the Director (SR & Legal) or not applied during the month of April may be considered as per the standing instructions.

In no way, the Divisional Head is empowered to circulate the letter of authorization containing his signature.

As such, circulation of  the proforma letter of authorization by the SPOs, Aska Division containing his signature not only violates CCS(RSA) Rules, 1993 and Directorate guidelines issued vide letter No. 18/03/2011-SR, dated 28.07.2011, but a clear encroachment on the power and authority of Director (SR & Legal), Dak Bhawan which is not at all appreciable.

Hence, we would like to request you to kindly guide the SPOs, Aska Division to withdraw the above Letter of Authorization circulated by him immediately allowing the Divisional Secretaries to submit only the proforma Letter of Authorization as per Directorate guidelines issued vide letter No. 18/03/2011-SR, dated 28.07.2011.

The issue may kindly be considered with every priority since only 9 working days are left in April.

             Awaiting an early response, Sir.

With regards.
Attached : As above
 Yours faithfully,

(B SAMAL)
Circle Secretary

Copy for kind information and necessary action to:
1.    The Chief Postmaster General, Odisha Circle, Bhubaneswar – 751 001.
2.    The SPOs, Aska Division, Aska.
3.    The Divisional Secretary, AIPEU, Group-C, Aska Division Aska.
(B SAMAL)
Circle Secretary