Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) – November, 2019
The All-India CPI-IW for November, 2019 increased by 3 points and pegged at 328(three hundred and twenty eight). On 1-month percentage change, it increased by (+) 0.92 per cent between October and November, 2019 whereas no change observed during corresponding months of last year.
The maximum upward pressure to the change in current index came from Food group contributing (+) 1.98 percentage points to the total change. At item level, Rice, Arhar Dal, Moong Dal, Urd Dal, Goat Meat, Poultry Chicken, Milk Cow, Garlic, Onion, Cabbage, Carrot, Green Coriander Leaves, Lady Finger, Potato, Hot Drink- Tea Readymade, Cooking Gas, Fire Wood, etc. are responsible for the increase in index. However, this increase was checked by Fish Fresh, Chillies Green, Ginger, Banana, Cauliflower, Coconut, French Beans, Gourd, Lemon, Orange, Peas, Radish, Tomato, Electricity Charges, Toilet Soap, etc., putting downward pressure on the index.
Year-on-year inflation based on all-items stood at 8.61 per cent for November, 2019 as compared to 7.62 per cent for the previous month and 4.86 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year. Similarly, Food inflation stood at 9.87 per cent against 8.60 per cent of the previous month and (-) 1.57 per cent during the corresponding month of an year ago.
At centre level, Rourkela observed the maximum increase of 14 points followed by Kodarma (12 points), Madurai (9 points) and Salem (8 points). Among others, 7 points increase was observed in 3 centres, 6 points in 4 centres, 5 points in 6 centres, 4 points in 7 centres, 3 points in 10 centres, 2 points in 11 centres and 1 point in 15 centres. On the contrary, Chhindwara and Kanpur recorded a maximum decrease of 3 points each followed by Ahmedabad and Jaipur (2 points each). Other 4 centres observed a fall in index by 1 point. Rest of 10 centres’ indices remained stationary.
The indices of 31 centres are above All-India Index and 46 centres’ indices are below national average. The index of Warrangal centre remained at par with All-India Index.
The next issue of CPI-IW for the month of December, 2019 will be released on Friday 31st January, 2020. The same will also be available on the office website www.labourbureaunew.gov.in.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions – Year End Review 2019
Following are the initiatives of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions during the year 2019:
‘Good Governance Index’ launched on ‘Good Governance Day’
MoS (PP) Dr Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Good Governance Index’ at an event organized by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, on the occasion of Good Governance Day i.e. 25th December, 2019. The Good Governance Index is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs. The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result oriented approaches and administration. Various principles have been kept in mind while selecting the indicators, i.e. it should be easy to understand & calculate, citizen-centric & result driven, leading to improved results and applicable to all states and UTs, among others. Various consultation meetings were held with the stakeholders, including consultations with sector experts, ministries, states & UTs. The GGI takes into consideration ten sectors: 1). Agriculture and Allied Sectors, 2). Commerce & Industries, 3). Human Resource Development, 4). Public Health, 5). Public Infrastructure & Utilities, 6). Economic Governance, 7). Social Welfare & Development, 8). Judicial & Public Security, 9). Environment and 10). Citizen-Centric Governance.
On the occasion, the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has also brought out a Handbook for Retiring Central Government Employee, including All India Service Officers, to make them, as well as their families, aware of their entitlements and various procedural formalities with respect to their retirement benefits.
The Minister also launched the 15th edition of Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP).
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG)’s initiatives for UTs of J&K and Ladakh:
A two-day Regional Conference (November 15-16, 2019) on ‘Replication of Good Governance Practices in UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, was organised in Jammu. The Conference was inaugurated by the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, in the presence of the Lt. Gov. of J&K, Shri G.C. Murmu, Secretary DoPT & DARPG, Dr C. Chandramouli, and J&K Chief Secretary, Shri BVR Subrahmanyam. The valedictory session was chaired by Shri K. K. Sharma Advisor to the LT. Governor of J&K. After intensive deliberations, ‘Sushasan Sankalp: Jammu Ghoshana’ resolution was adopted. The Conference resolved that Government of India and the participating State Governments and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh shall collaborate to Develop the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as models of administrative excellence using digital technologies in implementation of welfare Union Territory programs. The Regional Conference was attended by Delegates from 19 States and 4 Union Territories. In addition, 450 officials from Government of Jammu and Kashmir participated in the Regional Conference.
A 2-day regional conference in Jammu under the theme ‘Ek Barat Shresht Bharat’ with focus on ‘Jal Shakti and Disaster Management’ was organized on 30th Nov-1st December 2019. The Regional Conference brought together officials from the sister State of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in technical sessions on Jal Shakti and Disaster Management Practices. The technical sessions included Rejuvenation of Rivers – Cauvery and Jhelum, Reducing Water Consumption in Agriculture, Urban Flooding, Experience Sharing by District Collectors and Line Departments and also talks by specialists in Water Management practices. The Regional Conference was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh in the presence of Lt. Governor of J&K Shri G. C. Murmu on November 30, 2019. The conference was attended by 350 delegates from Jammu and Kashmir.
Three delegations from DARPG visited Srinagar in September – October 2019 to firm up the collaboration, the first delegation led by Shri V. Srinivas, Additional Secretary, DARPG had visited J&K on 4-5th September, 2019. This was followed by 2 delegations led by Joint Secretary DARPG Shri V. Shashank Shekhar. The Additional Secretary DARPG held discussions with the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir and Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries of the line Departments in outlining the collaboration roadmap.
22nd National Conference on e-Governance and adoption of ‘Shillong Declaration’
DARPG, in association with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India and the State Government of Meghalaya organized the 22nd National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2019 on 8-9thAugust, 2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya. The theme of this Conference was “Digital India: Success to Excellence”. At the valedictory session, the historic ‘Shillong Declaration’ outlining the roadmap on e-Governance of the Nation was adopted after intensive deliberations during the sessions held over two days.
DARPG in association with the Administrative Reforms Commission of the Government of Kerala organized the National Seminar on e-Governance at Thiruvananthapuram on August 27-28, 2019. The theme of the National Seminar was digital empowerment of the citizens.
‘Nagpur Resolution- A Holistic approach for empowering citizens’
The ‘Nagpur Resolution- A Holistic approach for empowering citizens’ was adopted during the Valedictory session of the two-day Regional Conference on ‘Improving Public Service Delivery – Role of Governments’, in Nagpur on 22nd December, 2019. The Conference resolved that Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, the Maharashtra State Commission for Right to Public Services and the participating State Governments shall collaborate to empower the citizens by policy interventions for better service delivery through timely updation of citizens charters, implementation of enactments and benchmarking standards for continuous improvement, among others.
Chairperson and members of Lokpal administered oath of office:
The Chairperson, Lokpal, Sh. Justice P. C. Ghose and its eight members were administered the Oath of Office. The logo, motto and website of the Lokpal were also launched during the year.
Four Information Commissioners administered the oath of office of the Information Commissioner
Four Information Commissioners namely Shri Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, Smt. Vanaja N Sarna, Shri Neeraj Kumar Gupta and Shri Suresh Chandra were administered the oath of office of the Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission(CIC) by the Chief Information Commissioner, Shri Sudhir Bhargava, on 1st January, 2019. With their induction, the total number of Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission including Chief Information Commissioner has gone upto 7.
Passing of RTI Amendment Bill, 2019
After being passed in Lok Sabha, the RTI Amendment Bill, 2019 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 25th July, 2019. The Lok Sabha had passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on 22nd July. In this amendment, it is proposed to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 so as to provide that the term of office of, and the salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of, the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners and the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioners, shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
CPGRAMS reforms and National workshop on CPGRAMS
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) organised the National Workshop on Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) Reforms on 5th November 2019. The CPGRAMS reforms for Departments of Financial Services and Telecommunications (DoT) and the ‘Online Hackathon on Data-Driven Innovation for Citizen Grievance Redressal’ was launched during the event. The CPGRAMS reforms for Department of Posts were launched on 25th September 2019 as part of the 100 days’ agenda of DARPG. The new version of CPGRAMS 7.0 will lead to reduction in grievance disposal time and improved quality of grievance redressal.
National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG)’s training programmes:
The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), India’s leading civil services training institution, has entered into an MoU with the Maldives Civil Services Commission for capacity building of 1000 Maldives civil servants over the next 5 years. The agreement was signed during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Male on 8th June 2019.
The 2-week long Special Training program was conducted by the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) at Mussoorie and Delhi in pursuance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India-Bangladesh and India-Maldives which were signed for training 1800 civil servants of Bangladesh and 1000 civil servants of Maldives over a period of 5 years. In all, 33 officials from Maldives and 31 officials from Bangladesh participated in the Training Program.
The Valedictory Session held on 27th September in New Delhi was addressed by Dr Jitendra Singh Minister of State for Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions. The program was conducted under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation program (ITEC) from 16th September at Mussoorie and Delhi. Under the MoU, 10 training programmes will be conducted from September 2019 to December 2020. The first 3 training programs under the MoU would be held in 2019 (a) September 16-28, 2019 and November 18-30, 2019 for 60 officers of the middle management level (b) December 2-14, 2019 for 30 officers of top management at the Permanent Secretary level.
Capacity building program for the Permanent Secretaries and Secretary Generals of the Republic of Maldives held
The Capacity Building Program was conducted by the National Centre for Good Governance from December 6 to December 13, 2019. The program was attended by 15 Permanent Secretaries and Secretary Generals of the Republic of Maldives. This is the first capacity building program for Top Management Officials of the Republic of Maldives conducted by the National Centre for Good Governance in India. Under Memorandum of Understanding between India and the Republic of Maldives, 1000 civil servants of Maldives are to be trained at the National Centre for Good Governance. Till date, 3 capacity building programs for 100 Officials have been successfully conducted.
MoU signed between UPSC and the Civil Service Council of Mongolia
On 3rd July, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Civil Service Council of Mongolia in New Delhi, to take forward the cooperation between the Commissions of the two countries. The Chairman, Union Public Service Commission, Shri Arvind Saxena and Chairman, Civil Service Council of Mongolia, Mr. B. Baatarzorig signed the MoU in the presence of officers from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).
14th Annual convention of the Central Information Commission held on 12th October
The Union Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah presided over the 14th Annual convention of the Central Information Commission as Chief Guest on 12th October, 2019. Shri Shah praised RTI as a great step to remove injustice and corruption from the system and increase the efficiency of governance. He said that RTI removes arbitrariness from governance and acts as a major grievance redressal tool. He said that the use of high technology methods like video conference and digitization of RTI files makes the lives of litigants easier.
CBI organises first National Conference on Cybercrime Investigation and Forensics
The first National Conference on Cybercrime Investigation and Forensics was organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 4th -5th September, 2019. Around 50 Officers including DGPs, ADGPs, IGPs, DIGPs and SPs dealing with cybercrime in State & UT Police, Central Agencies, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, other Ministries, experts from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and academia participated in the Conference.
National e-Governance Awards, 2019 presented:
MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh, presented the National e-Governance Awards, 2019 at a function organised by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, in New Delhi on 27th February. With a view to recognize and promote Excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives, the Government of India presents National Awards on e-Governance every year. The 14 Awards were given in 6 categories to recognize achievements in the area of e-Governance, with Gold and Silver Awards in each category. A Special Jury Award was also presented in Category-I for IRCTC Rail Connect Mobile App.
Posting of Assistant Secretaries in Central Government Ministries/Departments:
On 2nd July, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacted with about 160 young IAS officers of the 2017 batch, who were appointed as Assistant Secretaries in the Government of India. The Valedictory session was held on 1st October, 2019. The Prime Minister encouraged the officers to be receptive towards new ideas, new concepts and perspectives. Interacting with officers, Prime Minister said that maintaining service orientation is paramount for a civil servant as it will bring out neutrality.
Integrated Grievance Cell & Call Center for pensioners:
An Integrated Grievance Cell & Call Center was inaugurated on 20th June, 2019 for pensioners with the objective of providing easy access to pensioners in registering their grievances and getting speedy resolution. This centre is also working as team which coordinates with different Ministries/Departments to resolve the problems of the elderly pensioners.
All India Pension Adalat
All India Pension Adalat was organized on 23.08.2019 by DoPPW by roping in various Ministries and Departments all over the country. The MoS (PP) interacted with the nodal officers and the pensioners present at these Pension Adalats at remote locations from Delhi through live video conferencing. More than 50 centers were connected through live video conferencing with the event being organized in Delhi. Around 4,000 Pensioners’ cases were resolved in a single day.
Rule 54(3) of Family Pension Rules, 1964 amended
Rule 54(3) of Family Pension Rules, 1964 amended vide extra-ordinary gazette notification dated 20.09.2019 with an objective to provide enhanced family pension to the dependant of deceased government employee who dies before completing 7 years of service. Earlier, for Families of Government servant dying in harness for reasons other than attributable to government duty, the admissible Family Pension was 30% of last pay drawn, if the official had not put in at least 7 years of service. For the Families of those Government servants who had put in at least 7 years or more of service, the admissible Family Pension was at an enhanced rate of 50% of the last pay drawn. This distinction of the No. of years of service was removed with effect from 1st October 2019 and now enhanced Family Pension would also be admissible to the Families of all Government servant in the unfortunate event of their death even before their completing 7 years of service.
1. To provide ease of living for aged pensioners orders were issued on 18.7.2019 to allow them for submission of Life Certificate from October, 1st instead of November, 1st which will be valid till 30th November of subsequent year.
2. As part of this Department’s special emphasis to Jammu, a presentation on Bhavishya was given to J&K administration for adopting Good Governance practices after restructure in of the status. This was followed up with a workshop on Bhavishya at Jammu which was conducted for the personnel of the border Secretary Force Jammu on 25th September, 2019
‘Good Governance Index’ launched by MoS (PP) Dr Jitendra Singh on ‘Good Governance Day’ today
Good Governance Index has been scientifically designed on various parameters of governance: Dr Jitendra Singh 15th edition of Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP) released Handbook for Retiring Central Government Employees and Smart Card facility for Department Canteen of DoPT launched
The MoS (PP) Dr Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Good Governance Index’ at an event organized by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, on the occasion of Good Governance Day, here today. The Good Governance Day is observed on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On the occasion, the Minister also launched the 15th edition of Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP). He released the Handbook for the Retiring Central Government Employees and the Smart Card facility for Department Canteen of DoPT. The MoS (PP) also released a booklet on major initiatives/achievements of DoPT and Strategic Initiatives of Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Good Governance Index has been scientifically designed on various parameters of governance. He said that it has been designed keeping in mind the citizen-centricity, which is the prime mantra of Government led by PM Shri Narendra Modi. He added that GGI would also seek to determine the status of governance as it exists today and it will provide reference threshold for future also. Dr Jitendra Singh said that documentation of good governance index is our effort in the direction to carry forward Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision for good governance.
The Minister said that good governance initiatives by the Government draw inspiration from former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji. He added that good governance initiatives are being replicated not only by the states in India, but also by the other countries. He added that many regional conferences have been organized by the DARPG in different parts across India to replicate good governance practices. The Minister said that Smart Card launched for DoPT canteen today is also a step towards cashless transactions and digitisation.
Addressing on the occasion, Secretary, DoPT & DARPG, Dr. C. Chandramouli said that these measures reflect that the Ministry is equipping the employees to understand how to use digital platforms in functioning. He added that Government is also committed to the welfare of its ex-employees and it is taken care by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare.
The Additional Secretary, DARPG, Shri V. Srinivas said that the GGI has been developed for the first time by the Government. He said that CSMOP launched today reflects the Ministry’s commitment towards digitization and to shift towards Digital Secretariat. He also mentioned about good governance initiatives for replication such as Shillong Declaration, Jammu Ghoshna, Sahyog Sankalp and Nagpur Resolution, among others.
The EO & AS (DoPT) Shri P. K. Tripathi, Secretary (Legislative Department) Shri G. Narayana Raju, Secretary (Post), Shri Pradipta Kumar Bisoi, AS (DoNER) Shri Indewar Pandey and senior officers were also present on the occasion.
The Good Governance Index is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs. The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result oriented approaches and administration. Various principles have been kept in mind while selecting the indicators, i.e. it should be easy to understand & calculate, citizen-centric & result driven, leading to improved results and applicable to all states and UTs, among others. Various consultation meetings were held with the stakeholders, including consultations with sector experts, ministries, states & UTs.
The GGI takes into consideration ten sectors: 1). Agriculture and Allied Sectors, 2). Commerce & Industries, 3). Human Resource Development, 4). Public Health, 5). Public Infrastructure & Utilities, 6). Economic Governance, 7). Social Welfare & Development, 8). Judicial & Public Security, 9). Environment and 10). Citizen-Centric Governance. These ten Governance Sectors are measured on total 50 indicators. Difference indicators are given different weightage under one Governance Sector to calculate the value. E.g. Under Agriculture & Allied Sector, there are 6 indicators with different weightage, namely: Growth rate of agriculture and allied sector (0.4), growth rate of food grains production (0.1), growth rate of horticulture produce (0.1), growth rate of milk production (0.1), growth rate of meat production (0.1) and crop insurance (0.2). The states and UTs are divided into three groups: a). Big States, b). North-East & Hill States and c). UTs. The states and UTs are ranked on all indicators separately, at the same time composite ranking is also calculated for these states and UTs under their respective groups based upon these indicators.
Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP): The 1st CSMOP was published in 1955 and has been updated from time to time. The last edition (14th edition) was published in 2015. To meet the requirements of digital environment, DARPG has brought out 15th edition of CSMOP which integrates conventional office practices with e-office. Presently, more than 90% ministries have adopted e-office and 14,56,739 files are running in about 84 Ministries/Departments through e-office. In total. 57 ministries/departments have achieved desired target of 80% and above in e-office. The draft CSMOP was circulated to all ministries/departments and their views were incorporated in it. The main features of the CSMOP, which enables the march towards the digital Secretariat, are as follows: A new chapter on e-Office digitization framework that provides guidelines for scanning, entry and storage of data, provision of Virtual Private Network for officers of the rank of DS and above following scrutiny safeguards, provision for DSC to dealing officers and above rank officers, knowledge management provides the details regarding maintenance of Standing Guard Files, Standing Note, Induction Material etc, which helps in smooth disposal of work and decision making chapter provides list of various website and their links. The definitions have been categorised as Glossary and given at the end of CSMOP and the paragraphs are numbered chapter wise.
The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has brought out a Handbook for Retiring Central Government Employee, including All India Service Officers, to make them, as well as their families, aware of their entitlements and various procedural formalities with respect to their retirement benefits. The Department has brought out a compendium on pension related orders issued during 2018-19 which contains important orders which inter-alia include:- Amendment of Rule 38 of CCS (Pension) Rule to grant Invalid Pension to even those Government Employees who retire on medical ground with a qualifying service of less than 10 years, Revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners who retired in 5th CPC scale of Rs.6500-10500, w.r.t. higher grade pay of Rs.4600/- (instead of Rs.4200/-) as applicable to serving employees, Grant of two family pensions to reemployed pensioners for two different spells of service – one under CCS (Pension) Rules and the other under EOP Rules.
Based on the Root Cause Analysis of grievances and as a step towards Good Governance, DoP&PW has planned certain initiatives to be acted upon during 2019-24. These initiatives include Review & Rationalization of Pension Rules, 1972, promotion of Digital Life Certificate, e-PPO and its integration with Digi Locker, Real-Time Monitoring of Family Pension of CAPF Martyrs. The Department has accordingly also brought out a brief booklet on these initiatives.
Railway Board Instructions not to sanction any kind of leave for General Strike & Protest Week
Immediate
Government of India Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) ***
No. 2019/E(LR)II/1/10
New Delhi, dated:30.12.2019
The General Managers
All Indian Railways &
Production Units &
Metro Railway,Kolkata.
(Attn: PCP0s)
Sub.:(i) Holding of “Protest Week” from 2nd to 7th January,2020 by All Indian Railwaymen’s Federation(AIRF) and its affiliated Unions.
(ii)Agitation by National Federation of Indian Railwaymen(NFIR) and its affiliated Unions.
It has come to notice that AIRF have decided to observe ‘Protest Week’ from 2nd to 7th January, 2020 by holding Dharnas, Demonstrations, Protest Rallies, Gate Meetings, etc. at their Branch level all over Indian Railways. This is to protest against alleged arbitrary decisions of the Ministry of Railways. Further, they have also decided to fully support one day General Strike of the Central Trade Unions to be held on 8th January, 2020.
2. The other Federation viz. NFIR have also decided to get ready for launching agitation to protest against alleged wrong decisions taken by the Government. However, no dates of the proposed agitation have been confirmed.
3. Therefore, in view of aforesaid developments, there should not be any room for complacency on the part of the Railway administrations and all necessary stringent steps must be taken to ensure discipline and smooth functioning of Railways. It must be ensured that Railway Servants need to seek necessary permissions from the Competent Authority on their respective Railways/Production Units to leave their headquarters.
4. Railway Servants’ particular attention should be drawn to relevant penal provisions i.e. Section 173, 174 and 175 of the Railways Act, 1989 which are attracted in cases of abandoning train without authority, obstructing running of train and endangering the safety of persons by disobeying rules, etc.
Instructions may be issued not to sanction any kind of leave including Casual Leave, if applied for, during the period of proposed agitation/strike.
BPMS Clarifies its stand on strike called by CTU’s on 8th Jan 2020
REF: BPMS/ AIDEF- INDWF/ Strike/ 185(8/1/R)
Dated: 06.12.2019
To,
The General Secretary
AIDEF/ INDWF
Subject: In relation to proposed Strike of 8th Jan 2020.
Sir,
Your Joint letter (No. 01/2019 dated 02.12.2019) on the subject matter has been received whereby Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh has been requested to participate in the proposed Strike of 08th Jan 2020.
In this relation, it is worth to mention here that this Strike has been called by Central Trade Unions comprised of AITUC, CITU, HMS, INTUC, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC etc and AIDEF is affiliated to AITUC, CITU, HMS jointly and INDWF is affiliated to INTUC. BMS possesses No. 1 position among Central Trade Unions with respect to membership and BPMS is an Industrial Unit of BMS. BMS is not involved in the decision of proposed Strike of 8th Jan 2020
Further, your kind attention is drawn to the meeting held on 25/09/2018 at Mayur Bhawan, Kolkata wherein Strike of 23-25 Jan 2019 in defence establishments was decided to be held by the three federations. We had also decided in the meeting that we would not participate in any Strike invoked by Central Trade Unions. That’s why we did not participate in the Strike of 08-09 Jan 2019 called by Central Trade Unions.
BPMS is of the belief that Strike is the last option under Trade Union movements. We held the Strikes from 23 Jan 2019 to 25 Jan 2019 and 20 Aug 2019 and 25 Aug 2019 against the Central Govt. to redress the grievances of employees. We are well acquainted with the facts as to how it was made possible to avert the proposed corporatization of Ordnance Factories.
Of Late, we have succeeded in resolving the various issues of employees like dispensation of condition of NAC for grant of HRA, Regularization of CLTS in OFB, Benefit of Entry Pay, ACP issue of Medical Assistant, Pay up-gradation of Lab technician, Issue of CDRA etc. However, there are lot of pending issues to be resolved.
In national convention of 30 Sep 2019, Central Trade Unions decided to hold Strike of 08 Jan 2020 on the subject of Minority’s Issues, National Register of Citizenship of India- NCR and Abrogation of Article 370 etc. It is crystal clear that the proposed Strike of 08 Jan 2020 called by Central Trade Unions is political in nature. BPMS is politically unbiased and believes in the ideology of Responsive Co-operation.
Though INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU etc are participating in the Strike, however, Railway, having highest number of Govt employees and dominated by these Central Trade Unions, have no possibility of holding of Strike. Hence, it is not reasonable/ appropriate to hold Strike only in defence establishments amongst all Govt departments. Antiestablishment policies for defence installations, long pending departmental grievances and loss occurred/ will occur in attempt of making Strike successful should also have been assessed.
Instead of above circumstances and even being a part of responsible federation, you have decided to participate in the Strike and requested to BPMS to participate in the Strike.
Even there exit many contradictions, it has been decided by the BPMS after a long contemplation that BPMS will not oppose the Strike of 08 Jan 2020.
Payment of Leave Salary to the Running Staff after implementation of 7th CPC recommendations – NFIR Letter
No. IV/NFIR/7th CPC (Imp)/Allowance/2016/Part II
Dated: 27/12/2019
The Secretary (E),
Railway Board
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Sub: Payment of Leave Salary to the Running Staff after implementation of 7th CPC recommendations – reg.
Ref: (i) NFIR’s PNM Items No. 47/2018 & 5712016.
(ii) Railway Board’s letter No. E(P&A)II/2017/RS-22 dated 28/12/2018 (RBE No. 204/2018).
(iii) NFIR’s letter No. TV/NFIR/7th CPC (Imp)/Allowance/2016/Part II dated 12/01/2019, 18/03/2019, 28/05/2019 & 17/08/2019.
*********
Federation invites kind attention of the Railway Board to the references cited above relating to payment of Leave Salary to the Running Staff pursuant to the implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission. Federation once again reiterates that though the Railway Board have issued orders vide RBE No. 204/2018 dated 28/12/2018 but, however, there is no clarity in the said orders regarding date of effect i.e. from 01/01/2016, consequently in the provision in IPAS, date of effect has been taken as 01/07/2017 and the Running Staff have been put to recurring financial loss for 18 months (from 01/01/2016 to 30/06/2017) leave salary. Though the Federation has been making efforts to persuade the Railway Board to set right the technical snag but however action to correct/up-date IPAS has not been taken yet with the result Federation continues to receive grievances from the Running Staff from Zonal Railways.
NFIR, therefore, once again urges upon the Railway Board to kindly intervene and issue suitable instructions to all concerned to rectify/up-date the IPAS giving effect to the instructions vide RBE No. 204/2018 dated 28/12/2018 from 01/01/2016 repeat from 01/01/2016 and not from 01/07/2017.
Action taken in the matter may kindly be apprised to the Federation.
Yours faithfully,
(Dr. M. Raghavaiah)
General Secretary
Laptop reimbursement for Probationary officers of Group ‘A’ Railway Services under training at Centralized Training Institutes.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (BHARAT SARKAR)
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (RAIL MANTRALAYA)
(RAILWAY BOARD)
No.2011/C&IS/Committee/Laptop/Pt-II
New Delhi: 19-12-2019
The Director General,
NAIR/Vadodara.
The Directors,
IRIEEN, Pune
IRIEEN, Nasik Road
IRIMEE, Jamalpur
IRISET, Secunderabad
IRITM, Lucknow
IRIFM,Secunderbad
JR RPF Academy, Lucknow
Sub :– Simplification of the procedure of Laptop reimbursement for Probationary officers of Group ‘A’ Railway Services under training at Centralized Training Institutes.
Ref:- 1) Director General/NAIR’s Letter No. NAIR/CCD/AFP 01-03/19 dated 01.07.19
2) Laptop Policy letter No.2011/C&IS/Committee/Laptops/Pt-ll dated 23.01.2012
3) Transformation Cell’s Letter no.2018/Transf.Cell/Mech/Misc dated 02-01-2019
1. As per the existing policy, the Probationary Officers are provided laptop by the concerned CTI costing upto Rs.25,000/- each (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only). Cumulative expenditure incurred over repairs and maintenance activity carried out over the entire codal life of the Laptop, upto Rs.20000/-(Rupees Twenty Thousand only) is borne by the Railways.
2.Board (MT & FC) has approved further simplification of the process of procurement and reimbursement of Laptops for Probationary Officers. As per the simplified procedure, the Probationary officers can procure the Laptop themselves by clubbing the cost of laptop and cost of repair/maintenance over the specified life of the machine and the total amount can be claimed for reimbursement of the same through single invoice subject to the terms and conditions as well as monetary limits laid down in the laptop policy letter dated 23/01/2012.
3. This issue with concurrence of the Finance Directorate of Ministry of Railways.
4. Please acknowledge receipt.
(Rajnesh Singh)
Director M.E. (C&IS)
Railway Board
Change in Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes – PFRDA Circular
PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
B-14/A, Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhawan,
Qutub Institutional Area,
Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016
CIRCULAR
PFRDA/2019/22/REG-PF/3
Date: 20th November, 2019
To,
All Pension Funds
SUBJECT : Change in Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes — permitting Pension Funds to invest in Overnight Funds and all such short duration funds as may be permitted by SEBI from time to time
Reference is invited to the following Investment Guidelines and subsequent Circulars pertaining thereto issued by the Authority:
i. Investment guidelines dated 03.06.2015 for NPS Schemes (Applicable to Scheme CG, Scheme SG, Corporate CG and Lite Schemes NPS and APY)
ii. Investment Guidelines dated 04.05.2017 in respect of NPS Schemes {Other than Govt. Sector (CG & SG), Corporate CG, NPS Lite and APY}
iii. Circular dated 09.10.2017 regarding Clarification on investment guidelines
iv. Circular dated 20.08.2018 regarding Change in Investment Guidelines
v. Circular dated 02.11.2018 regarding Clarification on Change in Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes
vi. Circular dated 22.11.2018 regarding Clarification Change in Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes
vii. Circular dated 25.03.2019 regarding Amendment to Investment guidelines
2. It has been decided by the Authority to allow Pension Funds to invest in Overnight Funds and all such short duration funds as may be permitted by SEBI from time to time for investment of surplus funds for short term investment, under the category ‘Short-term debt instruments and related instruments’ of Investment guidelines for NPS schemes issued by the Authority.
3. Accordingly, the following Clause has been inserted in the Investment Guidelines dated 03.06.2015 for NPS Schemes applicable to Scheme CG, Scheme SG, Corporate CG and NPS Lite Schemes, APY and Investment Guidelines dated 04.05.2017 for NPS Schemes {Other than Govt. Sector (CG & SG), Corporate CG, NPS Lite and APY}and dated 04.05.2017 under the category ‘Short-term debt instruments and related instruments’:
“(d) Investment in units of Overnight Funds and all such short duration funds as may be permitted by SEBI from time to time with the condition that the average total asset under management of AMC for the most recent six month period should be at least Rs.5,000/- crores.”
4. The investment made by Pension Funds in Overnight Funds and all such short duration funds as may be permitted by SEBI from time to time, shall be eligible for payment of IMF to Pension Funds.
5. Subject to the aforementioned revision, all other terms and conditions as contained in the aforementioned investment guidelines and subsequent amendments shall remain unchanged. All Pension funds are called upon to note these changes and ensure necessary compliance.
6. This circular is issued in exercise of powers of the Authority under sub-clause (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 14 read with Section 23 of the PFRDA Act, 2013 and sub-regulation (1) of Regulation 14 of the PFRDA (Pension Fund) Regulations, 2015.
7. The revision shall be effective from the date of this circular.
G.S.R. 914(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3A of the Government Savings Promotion Act, 1873 (5 of 1873), the Central Government hereby makes the following Scheme, namely:-
1. Short title and commencement.–
(1) This Scheme may be called the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, 2019.
(2) It shall come into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions.-
(1) In this Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) “account” means an account opened under this Scheme;
(b) “account holder” means a girl child in whose name the account is held;
(c) “Act” means the Government Savings Promotion Act, 1873 (5 of 1873);
(d) “birth certificate” means birth certificate issued by the municipal authority or any office authorised to issue birth and death certificate by the Registrar of Births and Deaths or the Indian Consulate as defined in clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955);
(e) “family” means a unit consisting of a person and his spouse (both or either of whom are alive or deceased) and their children, adopted or otherwise;
(f) “financial year” means the period commencing on the 1stday of April and ending on the 31stday of March of the following year;
(g) “Form” means forms appended to this Scheme;
(h) “General Rules” means the Government Savings Promotion General Rules, 2018;
(i) “maturity” means maturity of an account on completion of a period of twenty-one years from the date of its opening.
(2) Words and the expressions used herein but not defined shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act and the General Rules.
3. Opening of account.-
(1) The account may be opened by one of the guardian in the name of a girl child, who has not attained the age of ten years as on the date of opening of the account.
(2) Every account holder shall have a single account under this Scheme.
(3) The application in Form-1 for opening an account shall be accompanied by birth certificate of the girl child in whose name the account is to be opened, along with required documents of guardian.
(4) An account under this Scheme may be opened for a maximum of two girl children in one family:
Provided that more than two accounts may be opened in a family if such children are born in the first or in the second order of birth or in both, on submission of an affidavit by the guardian supported with birth certificates of the twins/triplets regarding the birth of such multiple girl children in the first two orders of birth in a family:
Provided further that the above proviso shall not apply to girl child of the second order of birth, if the first order of birth in the family results in two or more surviving girl children.
4. Deposits.-
(1) The account may be opened with a minimum initial deposit of two hundred and fifty rupees and in multiples of fifty rupees thereafter and subsequent deposits shall be in multiples of fifty rupees subject to the condition that a minimum of two hundred and fifty rupees shall be made as deposit in a financial year in one account.
(2) The total amount deposited in an account shall not exceed one lakh fifty thousand rupees in a financial year:
Provided that the deposit in excess of one lakh fifty thousand rupees in any financial year, if accepted due to any accounting error, shall not be eligible for any interest and be returned immediately to the depositor.
(3) Deposits may be made in the account till the completion of a period of fifteen years from the date of opening of the account.
(4) An account in which minimum amount as specified in sub-paragraph (1) has not been deposited shall be considered as an account under default:
Provided that an account under default may be regularised any time till completion of a period of fifteen years from the date of opening of account on payment of a penalty of fifty rupees for each year of default along with the minimum annual deposit in respect of the defaulted years.
(5) In case of an account under default, if not regularised within the time specified under sub-paragraph (4), then the whole deposit, including the deposits made prior to the date of default, shall be eligible for interest at the rate applicable to the Scheme till closure of the account.
5. Interest on deposit.-
(1) Deposits in the account shall earn interest at the rate 8.4 per cent per annum.
(2) The interest shall be calculated for the calendar month on the lowest balance in the account between the close of the fifth day and the end of the month. The interest shall be credited to the account at the end of each financial year and any amount of interest in fraction of a rupee shall be rounded off to the nearest rupee and for this purpose any amount of fifty paisa or more shall be treated as one rupee and any amount less than fifty paisa shall be ignored.
(3) Interest shall be credited at the end of the financial year irrespective of the change of the account office due to transfer of the account during the financial year.
6. Operation of account.-
(1) The account shall be operated by the guardian till the account holder attains the age of eighteen years. The account shall be operated by the account holder herself after attaining age of eighteen years by submitting necessary documents.
7. Premature closure of account.-
(1) In the event of death of the account holder, the account shall be closed immediately on application in Form-2, on production of death certificate issued by the competent authority and the balance at the credit of the account and interest due thereon till the date of death shall be paid to the guardian.
(2) Interest for the period between the date of death of the account holder and date of closure of the account shall be paid at the rate applicable on Post Office Savings Account for the balance held in the account.
(3) Where the accounts office is satisfied that in case of extreme compassionate grounds such as medical support in life-threatening diseases of the account holder or death of the guardian that the operation or continuation of the account is causing undue hardship to the account holder, it may, after complete documentation establishing the grounds for such closure, by order and for reasons to be recorded in writing, allow premature closure of the account. Outstanding balance in the account with interest due as applicable to the Scheme shall be paid to the account holder or guardian, as the case may be:
Provided that no premature closure of an account under this sub-paragraph shall be made before completion of five years from the date of opening of the account.
8. Withdrawal.-
(1) On an application in Form-3, withdrawal of upto a maximum of fifty per cent. of the amount in the account at the end of the financial year preceding the year of application for withdrawal, shall be allowed for the purpose of education of the account holder:
Provided that such withdrawal shall be allowed after the account holder attains the age of eighteen years or has passed tenth standard, whichever is earlier.
(2) The application for withdrawal under sub-paragraph (1) shall be accompanied by documentary proof in the form of a confirmed offer of admission of the account holder in an educational institution or a fee-slip from such institution indicating such financial requirement.
(3) The withdrawal under sub-paragraph (1) may be made in one lump sum or in instalments, not exceeding one per year, for a maximum of five years, subject to the ceiling specified in sub-paragraph (1):
Provided that the amount of withdrawal shall be restricted to the actual requirement on account of fee and other charges required at the time of admission as shown in the offer of admission or the relevant fee-slip issued by the educational institution.
9. Closure on maturity.-
(1) The account shall mature on completion of a period of twenty-one years from the date of its opening.
(2) The closure of the account may also be permitted before completion of twenty-one years if the account holder on an application makes a request for such closure for the reason of intended marriage of the account holder on furnishing of a declaration duly signed on non-judicial stamp paper attested by the notary supported with proof of age confirming that the applicant will not be less than eighteen years of age on the date of marriage:
Provided that no such closure shall be allowed before one month from the date of the intended marriage or after three months from the date of marriage.
(3) On an application in Form-4 by the account holder, the balance outstanding along with interest as applicable under paragraph 5 shall be payable to the account holder.
10. Application of General Rules.-
Provisions of the General Rules shall, so far as may be, apply in relation to the matters for which no provisions have been made in this Scheme.
11. Power to relax.-
Where the Central Government is satisfied that the operation of any of the provisions of this Scheme causes undue hardship to the account holder, it may, by order and for reasons to be recorded in writing, relax the requirement of that provision or provisions in respect of such account holder, in a manner not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act.
Date of next increment under Rule 10 of Railway Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (BHARAT SARKAR) Ministry of Railways (Rail Mantralaya) (Railway Board)
PC-VII No. 147
File No. PC-V11/2017/R-I/7
RBE No. 212/2019
New Delhi, dated: 18/12/2019
The General Manager/CAOs(R),
All Indian Railways & Production Units,
(As per mailing list)
Sub : Date of next increment under Rule 10 of Railway Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016 – regarding.
Consequent to implementation of 7th CPC recommendations, various doubts have arisen over the issue of Date of Next Increment (DNI) in case of an employee promoted or granted financial upgradation including upgradation under MACP on 1st July, 2016, whose pay was fixed on 01.07.2016 in terms of the rules governing fixation of pay on promotion.
Issue No. 1: Whether after promotion on 1st July and fixation of pay with two increments, the date of next increment will be 1st January or 1st July.
Issue No. 2: Accrual of next increment in case of regular promotion/financial up-gradation of an employee on any date other than the date of annual increment and option for fixation of pay is exercised under FR 22(I)(a)(1).
(Note : Department of Personnel & Training vide their OM No. 13/02/2017- Estt.(Pay-I) dated 27.07.2017 provided clarification on availability of option for fixation of pay on promotion from the Date of Next Increment (DNI) in the lower post and method of pay fixation from DNI, if opted fir, in context of CCS(RP) Rules, 2016. The same was adopted in Railways vide Board’s Letter No. PC-VII/2016/1/6/2 dated 31.07.2017 (RBE No. 79/2017).
4. The clarifications issued by Ministry of Finance/Department of Expenditure as mentioned above shall be applicable nnttatis mutandis in Railways too with respect to Railway Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016.
5. The ‘one month’ period mentioned in para 7 of aforesaid OM dated 28.11.2019 of Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure shall be one month from the date of issue of these instructions.
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