S. No. 24 – Amendment to the definition of anomaly as notified by Government in the orders of constitution of anomaly committees at various levels
JS (Admn and JCA) informed that the definition has been modified and will be further looked into on receipt of the recommendations on allowances. It was decided that the item may be closed.
S. No. 25 – Withdraw the stringent conditions unilaterally imposed by Government on grant of Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) in promotion and grant of MACP on promotional hierarchy.
Staff-Side stated that new condition would make it difficult for employees to avail MACP which, as such, is disadvantageous as it is not in the promotional hierarchy. It was stated that the new benchmark was more stringent then the benchmark prescribed for promotion in some cases and the employees will suffer more as they may find it difficult to meet this requirement. The Staff Side further pleaded that the change of benchmark from ‘Good’ to ‘Very Good’ can only have prospective effect and the grant of MACP on the basis of the reports of earlier years when the said stipulation of ‘Very Good’ was not in existence must be calibrated on the basis of the earlier stipulation of the benchmark being `Good’. They stated that DoPT should come out with some guidelines so that the employees could be assessed in an objective manner as many employees may find it impossible to meet the benchmark since the Reporting Officers are themselves not adequately trained in writing APARs. They stated that this provision needs to
be reviewed.
JS(Admn. and JCA) informed that ever since the introduction of disclosure of APARs, the number of employees getting higher level of gradings may rise. Proposal needed to be evidence based. It was decided that the Ministry of Railways may provide data on the trend of recorded gradings of APARs.
{Action: M/o Railways}
S. No. 26 – Removal of ambiguity in fixation of pay of re-employed exservicemen and grant of the same benefit extended to commissioned officers to personnel below officers rank also.
Establishment Division in their comments dated 28.03.2017 had stated that:
(i) The first issue relates to pay fixation on re-employment in Civil Services and Public Sector Banks, etc. D/o Financial Services (DoFS) is stated to have clarified that pay fixation of ex-servicemen would be through protection of pay plus D.A. drawn by them at the time of release from the Armed forces. DoFS orders provide that in addition to the pay fixed on re-employment, pension and other retirement benefits would also be allowed.
(ii) Establishment Division has clarified to D/o Posts that initial pay on re-employment in case of ex-servicemen who had held posts below Commissioned Officers and civilians, below Group-A, shall be fixed as per the entry pay in the revised pay structure of the re-employed posts applicable in the case of direct recruits appointed on or after 01.01.2006.
(iii) Staff-Side says there is a contradiction in the two clarifications and, as a result of the ambiguity, one section has benefited (Personnel who are covered under the instructions of DoFS) while others are not (Personnel who are covered under the instructions of DoPT).
JS(E) stated that they had received a number of grievances and the Department of Welfare of Ex-Serviceman had lso raised this issue. Presently there are two formulations for pay fixation of ex-servicemen — one for Group A posts and another for others — which is not an ideal situation. It was stated that the issue is under active consideration and a decision is likely shortly.
{Action: Establishment Division (DoPT)}
S. No. 27 – Permission to opt for pay fixation in the revised pay structure on a date after the date of issue of CCS(RP) rules 2016 notification (25.7.2016) in case of employees whose promotion becomes due after 25.7.2006.
Departartment of Expenditure (DoE) had through their letter dated 09.01.2017 informed that references have been received from various Ministries/ Departments for switching over to revised pay scale after 25.07.2016 and the matter is being examined. Decision in the matter will be communicated in due course.
{Action: D/o Expenditure}
S. No. 28 – Extension of the benefit of bonus calculation ceiling enhancement of Rs. 7000/- to Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) of the postal department also.
Department of Expenditure had through their letter dated 24.01.2017 informed that it had conveyed its approval for enhancement of calculation ceiling to Rs.7000/- for the purpose of payment of PLB in respect of GDS w.e.f. the accounting year 2014-15 vide ID no. 7/31/12006-E.III(A) dated 27/10/2016.
The Staff-Side expressed their satisfaction over the decision. It was decided that the item may be closed.
S. No. 29 – Regularise the services of casual labourers by absorbing them against vacant posts of MTS as one time measure.
Establishment Division had through their letter dated 10.01.2016 clarified that no such proposal from Ministry of Defence was pending with DoPT and no scheme on the lines of the scheme of 1993 was under consideration. It has been further stated that the judgment of the Constitution Bench in the Uma Devi case bars any regularisation of individuals not selected through a prescribed selection procedure. Therefore, only those casual labours may be regularised who are covered under the 1993 scheme.
Staff-Side stated that while the Uma Devi judgment is clear and the instructions have-been-issued by DoPT, there are cases where the casual labourers have not completed 10 years on the date of judgement. The Staff-Side said that the recruitment procedure adopted while engaging the daily rated workers was one and the same for regular employment especially those kept for erstwhile Group-D functions. Therefore, they cannot be said to be backdoor entrants. This apart, they added that such recruitment on purely temporary basis was necessitated and initiated due to the all pervading ban imposed by DoPT in 2001 and continued for almost nine years. Therefore, they said that it is necessary that the DoPT should prepare a scheme by which the quality of employment is maintained as also regularization of persons who have served the government for such long period of time does take place.
They also added that these appointments were against regular and permanent vacancies and the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Uma Devi does not debar the government from considering regularization of such cases. As
they were working in Government establishments, their condition needs to be appreciated.
JS(E) stated that Establishment Division would look into this matter in view of the position explained by the Staff-Side.
{Action: Establishment Division (DoPT)}
Standing Commitee Meeting Agenda Item 30
S. No. 30 – Fill up all vacant posts including promotional posts in a time bound manner.
Establishment Division of DoPT had through their note dated 19.02.2017 informed that vide OM No. 22011/1 /2011/Estt. D dated 27.10.2016 instructions had been issued to Ministries/Departments to ensure strict compliance of guidelines by following model calendar for DPC so as to grant timely promotions. It has been further informed that DoPT (Establishment Division) is in the process of further fine-tuning the model calendar.
Staff-Side stated that the situation has arisen because of DoPT OM dated 30.09.2016 following a hearing in the Supreme Court. As such no promotions in any level are taking place and UPSC has also not accepted any DPC proposals for want of further clarification from DoPT. JS(Admn. and JCA) informed that the department is seized of the concerns of the Staff Side and the matter is under active consideration and a decision is awaited.
Standing Commitee Meeting Agenda Item 31
S. No. 31 – Abolish and upgrade all posts of Lower Division Clerks (LDCs) to Upper Division Clerks(UDCs)
Staff-Side stated that as the LDC cadre is losing its relevance, the posts may be upgraded to UDC.
JS(E) stated that this may not be possible without fully understanding the implications in each department. It was stated that it would be appropriate that the posts may be allowed to continue till such time their requirement is felt. Reacting to the comment made by the Official-Side, the Staff-Side pointed out that prima facie, on introduction of computerized functioning in almost all departments, the functions assigned to LDCs have become redundant. What is required is to get the report from each department and take a conscious decision, as LDC is a common category.
JS(Admn. and JCA) stated that as the meeting had already gone on for more than three hours, the new agenda items may be taken up for discussion in the next meetings. It was stated that the comments received on the agenda items would be circulated to the Staff Side. Comments on the remaining items which were not included in the agenda would also be called for from the administrative departments and will be circulated to the Staff Side on receipt.
DESW Order : Educational Concession to the Children of Armed Forces Officers, PBORs
No.6(l)/2009/Edu. Concession/ D(Res.-II)
Government of India
Ministry of Defence
Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare
Room No. 231, ‘B’ Wing
Sena Bhawan, New Delhi
Dated: 13th Sept, 2017
To,
The Chief of the Army Staff
The Chief of the Naval Staff
The Chief of the Air Staff
The Director General Indian Coast Guard.
Subject : Grant of Educational Concession to the Children of Armed Forces Officers/Personnel Below Officer Ranks (PBORs) missing / disabled / killed in action:
Consequent upon the decision taken by the Government on the recommendations made by the Seventh Central Pay Commission (7th CPC) in Para 8.17.42 regarding enhancement of Educational Concessions to the Children of Armed Forces Officers/Personnel Below Officer Ranks (PBORS) Missing/Disabled/Killed in action and in supersession of earlier order No 6(1)/2009/Edu. Concession/II D(Res) dated 25th Oct 2010 on the subject, the President is pleased to issue the following instructions:
(i) Tuition Fees: Full reimbursement of tuition fee (Capitation fee and caution money not included) levied by the educational institutions concerned (including charges levied for the school bus maintained by the school or actual fares paid for railway pass for students or bus fare certified by the Head of Institutes).
(ii) Hostel Charges: Full reimbursement of Hostel charges for those studying in boarding schools and colleges.
(iii) Cost of books/stationery: Rs. 2000/- (Rupees two thousand only) per annum per student or the amount claimed by the student, whichever is less.
(iv) Cost of Uniform where this is Compulsory: Rs. 2000/- (Rupees two thousand only) or the amount claimed‘by the student, whichever is less.
(v) Clothing: Rs. 700/- (Rupees seven hundred only) per annum per student or the amount claimed by the student, whichever is less.
2. The education concessions referred to above will be admissible only for undertaking studies in Govt/Govt. aided schools/educational institutes, Military/Sainik Schools and other schools or colleges recognised by the Central or State Governments including the autonomous organisations financed entirely by the Central/State Governments.
3. The above educational concessions will be available for school going children from 2 classes prior to lSt class up to and inclusive of the First Degree Course.
4. Re-imbursement of Educational Concession shall have no nexus with the performance of the child in his/her class. In other words, even if a child fails in a particulars class, the re-imbursement of CEA shall not be stopped.
5. The combined amount of Tuition Fees and Hostel Charges shall not exceed Rs. 10,000/-pm.
6. The concession shall go up by 25 percent each time DA rises by 50 percent.
7. These orders shall be effective from 1st July, 2017.
8. The Educational concession referred to in this order will be debit able from Major Head 2076 and Minor Head 800 B(a)2 of the Defence services Estimates (Army) and relevant Heads of Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
9. This issues with the concurrence of Ministry of Defence (Finance Pension) vide their U.O. No.IO (23)/O9/Fin/Pen dated 11.09.2017.
Yours faithfully,
(Santosh)
Joint Secretary to the Government of India
Conference on Portability from Superannuation and Recognized Provident Funds to National Pension System (NPS); NPS has more than 1.71 crore subscribers with total Asset under Management (AUM) of more than Rs. 2.04 lakh crores.
A Conference on Portability from Superannuation and recognized Provident Funds to National Pension System (NPS) was organized by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) in coordination with Willis Towers Watson in national capital. The Prime objective of the Conference was to provide a knowledge base platform to the Corporate by providing solutions to address the issues / challenges of portability of superannuation funds to NPS.
160 participants comprising Corporate, Points of Presence (POPs), Pension Funds, Central Record Keeping Agencies (CRAs) participated in the Conference.
Dr. B. S. Bhandari, Whole Time Member (Economics), PFRDA, highlighted the need to expand the coverage of NPS in an efficient and sustainable way. He asserted the fact that there are more employees in the Corporate – Private sector than in the government sector and hence there is a great potential for NPS in the corporate sector. PFRDA has been constantly engaging with its stake holders in the NPS and has been working with industry associations for promotion of NPS in the Corporate – Private sector. To make NPS entry easy and the interface user friendly, various modifications have been carried out in the product.
Shri Rohit Jain, Head, Willis Towers Watson (India), speaking on the occasion, told that the average life expectancy of persons in India has risen and hence there is a greater need for a retirement / pension product for all. Traditional pension products cover only 30% of the population. In this changing scenario there is a latent demand for product like NPS as there is no universal pension product.
Shri Hemant Contractor, Chairman, PFRDA in his key note address, informed that, earlier, people used to retire from the same job not only in the government sector but also in private sector. With opening up of economy people started getting more job opportunities switching jobs suitable to their skills and talents. Job switching has become more frequent and people seek more controls on their finances, when they start moving jobs and place from one to another. The concept of portability came in and people started thinking about having better control on their retirement savings.
Defined Benefit Pension schemes, which were predominant, became unsustainable not only for the government sector but also for the private sector because of various factors. A Defined Contribution scheme was therefore launched in 2004 which was initially only for Central Government employees, but which was later extended to State Government employees and later to the private sector. This scheme is the National Pension System (NPS), which is regulated by PFRDA.
NPS addressed the concerns of subscribers relating to portability and freedom of choice, and gradually started to pick up momentum in the private sector. The other features of NPS, namely, low cost, attractive returns, transparency, flexibility and domain expertise in each area of pension activity were the other factors which appealed to the private sector. Innovations and changes are made from time to time in the NPS product and processes, some recent examples being, introduction of two new life cycle funds, inclusion of alternative assets in investment portfolio, online entry and exit etc.
The entry age to NPS is now proposed to be increased to 65 years from 60 years and there is an option to continue up to age of 70 years.
The Chairman also mentioned that NPS should also be explored, as an additional retirement benefit, for corporates where superannuation funds are not available and employees are covered only under the mandatory EPFO schemes.
He highlighted the growth of 47% in AUM and 26% in number of subscribers in the last financial year (2016-17). He also made a reference to Atal Pension Yojana, the pension platform available for unorganized segment through Government of India / PFRDA and its year on year growth indicating the underlying demand for pension products in India.
During the conference, a panel discussion comprising industry experts such as Willis Towers Watson, HDFC Pension Funds, Siemens Limited, Vedanta Group and NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited eyeing the opportunities, addressing the challenges / issues and preparation of necessary guidelines on superannuation funds and NPS portability was conducted.
In the second half, a Conference for Point of Presence (PoPs), the distribution channel for NPS, was conducted.
Shri Hemant Contractor, Chairman, PFRDA, in his keynote address stressed on the need for robust distribution of the NPS through the current distribution network being managed by POPs which are Banks and other financial institutions. He also laid emphasis on the fact that, the key to last mile connectivity is increased distribution network by the POPs by registration and activation of more branches and through awareness campaigns. He informed that PFRDA has empanelled IL&FS Skill Development Corporation Limited as its training agency to impart training on NPS to POPs and Corporate and urged the POPs to utilise the services of the Training Agency for training of their staff member on NPS.
During this conference, awards were distributed to the POPs, for their performance in FY 2016-17 under various categories.
Currently, NPS has more than 1.71 crore subscribers with total Asset under Management (AUM) of more than Rs. 2.04 lakh crores.
PIB
