Courtesy : The Samaj, dated 15.10.2016
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Dal to be sold on subsidized rate through Post Offices
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Happy Laxmipuja
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Can I eat my office lunch at my desk?
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Boss or Leader ? Follow these signs
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E-commerce delivery up during festival season for Postal Department
COIMBATORE, October 16, 2016
Its festival season, its shopping time - both, online and offline. With more customers turning to portals to book gifts, buy articles, agencies that deliver these parcels to customers make special arrangements for the season so that the shoppers get the goods well before Deepavali.
In the recent years, Postal Department is handling delivery for several e-commerce firms.
It has partnered with portals such as Snapdeal, Amazon.in, Myntra, Shopping Zone, and Naaptol and has a special tie-up with Amazon.in for same day delivery in Coimbatore.
According to Postmaster General, Western Region, Sharda Sampath, apart from transport by rail, the department has strengthened its road transport network. Road transport from Coimbatore to Madurai via Dindigul, to Chennai via Salem, to Bengaluru via Hosur, and between Hosur-Krishnagiri-Jolarpettai and Dharmapuri-Salem helps move the goods to the respective post offices soon.
While Cash on Delivery parcels are handled by the postmen in the morning hours, the other parcels are delivered on Sundays and holidays too and it is outsourced.
Some of the post offices that handle high volume of e-commerce parcels in the region are Coimbatore Head Post Office, RS Puram Head Post Office, Coimbatore Central, Ramanathapuram, Peelamedu, Salem Head Post Office, Suramangalam Head Post office and Hasthampatti post office.
While same day delivery is high within the city, the other e-commerce bookings are even for delivery in rural areas.
The articles are delivered through Speed Post, Business Parcel, and Express Parcel.
Last year, e-commerce business through Speed Post in the region was to the tune of Rs. 28 lakh during festival season and this year, it has already crossed Rs. 12 lakh.
“We expect a surge in volume of parcels from the e-commerce sector during this season,” she says.
Source : http://www.thehindu.com
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Post offices to start selling pulses at subsidised rates
TNN | Oct 15, 2016
Highlights
- Post offices will now start selling pulses at subsidised rates to consumers.
- Centre has decided to roll out this initiative in the next couple of weeks.
NEW DELHI: After delivering Ganga jal, post offices will now start selling pulses at subsidised rates to consumers. Finding a solution to the lukewarm response of states in picking up pulses from the central buffer stock, the Centre has decided to roll out this initiative in the next couple of weeks.
"We have already talked to the postal department and they are keen to start this. To make a beginning, we will start selling chana dal at subsidised prices at some of the post offices since it's still selling at relatively high price," consumer affairs secretary Hem Pande told TOI.
An official release of consumer affairs ministry said the inter-ministerial panel while reviewing the availability and prices of essential commodities on Friday had suggested that in the absence of government outlets in states, postal networks should be tapped for distribution.
TOI had reported on September 3 that the consumer affairs ministry was exploring the possibility of using the huge network of India Post outlets across the country.
Pande said in the next few days they will work out how pulses in packets can be made available at post offices. "We will see whether our entities can do this. Already one agency, NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India), is selling pulses in Delhi through mobile vans," he added.
Early this year, the Centre had struggled to dispose off imported pulses since states did not come forward to take them despite government offering the stock at subsidised prices. This year, the buffer stock created with import and domestic procurement of pulses is more than 1.5 lakh tonnes and the Centre is in a comfortable position to start their sale through different government outlets.
This is also being seen as an interim arrangement till the time government engages a professional agency to manage the entire buffer stock and its disposal. The government has approved creating 20 lakh tonne buffer stock of pulses.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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An imprint of good relations: Commemorative stamp unveiled to mark Seychelles-India Day
Victoria, Seychelles | October 15, 2016, Saturday
A new commemorative stamp was launched on Friday aimed at showcasing Seychelles-India relations, as well as creating a symbol of the annual celebration of the Seychelles’ Indian heritage.
The stamp was unveiled at the official launching of the 2016 edition of the Seychelles-India Day, an event that has been celebrated since 2013.
The Seychelles Postal Services collaborated with the Indian Association of Seychelles to release the stamp, which depicts the only Hindu Temple located in the island nation’s capital, Victoria.
The Chairperson of the Indian Association, Ramakrishnan Ramu Pillay, told SNA that they wanted to create something that would leave a historical imprint of the annual event, adding that the temple was chosen because of its cultural and touristic value.
"We chose the Indian temple because it's never been used in such way before and many tourists visit the temple on a daily basis, hence are familiar with this iconic establishment in the country,” said Pillay.
“When they send a post card to their friends and families abroad, they will be promoting Seychelles India-Day through this new stamp," he added.
The new commemorative stamp costs less than a dollar (10 Seychelles rupees) and is on sale at all post offices in Seychelles along with a First Day Cover being sold at 30 Seychelles rupees.
The Director of Operations of Seychelles Postal Services, Barbara Esther, told SNA that the last time they issued a commemorative stamp was over two years ago.
She said that Indian Ocean Association opted for the stamp in its quest for something that would also showcase the good relation between Seychelles and India.
“They designed the stamp themselves choosing what to put on it and the postal services facilitated the process, making the final product what it is today," said Esther.
Many of the Indian Ocean archipelago’s 93,000 mixed population can trace their roots back to one or more ancestors with Indian heritage. The stamp was but one initiative announced as part of efforts to add value to the place India holds as part of the country’s cultural diversity.
At Friday’s launching ceremony, the Seychelles Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St.Ange also announced that plans are underway to build a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Victoria.
According to hubpages.com, statues of Mahatma Ghandi -- often referred to as the apostle of non-violence -- have been erected in more than 70 countries across the globe.
Minister St Ange said: “We believe as a country that the influences set by Mr. Ghandi is something that needs to be treasured."
It was announced on Friday that the celebration of the Seychellois-Indian culture is now a national cultural event in the country alongside Festival Kreol and Carnaval International de Victoria.The launching of the Seychelles-India Day was attended by both Seychellois and Indian nationals, who were treated to music and dance performances by guest artists from India.
The Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles, Sanjay Panda, congratulated the Indian Association of Seychelles for giving the event the cultural importance it holds today.
"So far it has been a fairytale journey, after that a national event, now it's going to grow further in stature," said Panda, who seized the opportunity to announce his departure after being the Indian High Commissioner for the last two years.
Panda also presented a cheque worth around $30,000 (around 400,000 Seychelles rupees) from the Indian government to the Indian Association in recognition of the effort made to spearhead the Seychelles India day over the past 3 years.
This year’s edition of the annual event will proceed with a free musical gala night on Saturday evening, while cooking enthusiasts were treated to a culinary session with the help of an Indian chef earlier on Saturday.
Source : http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com
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A philatelist with a rich collection
Nagercoil, October 17, 2016
Kumaraswamy is an avid numismatist who has held a number of exhibitions
It was while studying in VI standard that P. Kumaraswamy got fascinated with stamps. Now, at the age of 45, Mr. Kumaraswamy recalls the day he witnessed an exhibition of rare coins and stamps showcased by an aged man at Kavimani Desiga Vinayagam Pillai Government Higher Secondary School in Nagercoil.
Talking to The Hindu , this resident of Kottar here, said he now had a collection of permanent pictorial postal cancellation of over 130 historical places spread across the nation. He also claimed to have 31 permanent postal cancellations of historical places in Tamil Nadu. According to South India Philatelists’ Association, 34 permanent pictorial cancellations were introduced in Tamil Nadu by the postal department.
Mr. Kumaraswamy, who is also an avid numismatist, said the pictorial postal cancellations concentrated mainly on places of tourist attraction. India Posts introduced permanent postal cancellations way back in 1951.
The pictorial cancellations were introduced in three phases. During phase I, the focus was on Qutab Minar and it was introduced on November 10, 1954.
During phase II, which started on January 1, 1965, cancellations were introduced for five famous sites – Ajanta, Ellora, Sanchi, Khajuraho and Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. Phase III started in the year 1974.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Department of Posts introduced 34 permanent postal cancellations in Tamil Nadu, covering from Thanjavur Big Temple on December 16, 1974, to the emblem of CMC Hospital in Vellore on December 9, 2014.
A few other permanent pictorial postal cancellations in Tamil Nadu are for Sangameswarar Temple in Bhavani, Subramaniya Bharathiar Memorial in Ettaiyapuram, Courtalam Main Falls, Khadi Spinning Wheel Chakra in Hastampatti in Salem and Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari.
With a view to creating awareness of collection of stamps and permanent pictorial cancellations of postal stamps, this philatelist has conducted exhibitions in over five schools in and around Chengalpattu and also rare coin exhibitions in over 400 government and private schools across the State.
Mr. Kumaraswamy expressed hope that the exhibitions would motivate students to take up philately and numismatics as their hobbies.
Source : http://www.thehindu.com
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7th Pay Commission: Expert committee on allowances may retain hike proposed by panel
If a portal dedicated to Indian bureaucrats is to be believed, the Narendra Modi government may end up accepting the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on allowances, just as it did on salary component.
The government had referred the proposals on raising allowances to an expert panel headed by finance secretary Ashok Lavasa in June and had given a deadline of four months to finalise a decision.
The 7th CPC had recommended 16 per cent hike in salary payable with retrospective effect from January 1, 2016 and two rates of increase in allowances — 138.71 per cent for house rent allowance and 49.79 per cent for other allowances in its November 2015 report.
The latter portion was referred to the expert panel by the Union Cabinet in June, while taking a decision on the 7th CPC report.
The Sen Times, quoting a finance ministry official, said that the expert committee is likely to retain the hike proposed by the 7th CPC.
"The committee on allowances is likely to stick with the 7th Pay Commission's recommendations on allowances," the official confirmed to The Sen Times.
Central government employees "could get the higher allowances from their October or November salaries," the portal added.
The additional amount on account of hike in HRA and other allowances is about Rs 29,300 crore (Rs 17,200 crore + Rs 12,100 crore) during the current fiscal, as estimated by the 7th CPC.
In its report, the pay commission had recommended abolition of 51 allowances and subsuming 37 others after examining 196 allowances.
The recommendations of the 7th CPC cover 47 lakh Central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners, of which 14 lakh employees and 18 lakh pensioners are from the defence forces.
The overall financial impact on account of hike in pensions was estimated at more than Rs 30,000 crore.
"Based on the current trend, the total expenditure on pension during the year 2016-17, without factoring in the recommendations being made by this Commission, is expected to be Rs 1,42,600 crore," the report said.
"After implementation of the recommendations of the VII CPC, this is likely to rise to Rs 1,76,300 crore, reflecting an increase of about Rs 33,700 crore (23.63 per cent)," it added.
Source : http://www.ibtimes.co.in
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SSC Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination, 2016 (Postal)
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has published Advertisement for Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination, 2016. Other details like age limit, educational qualification, selection process, application fee and how to apply are given below.
Exam : Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination, 2016
Posts :
Postal Assistant/Sorting Assistant / Lower Division Clerk (LDC) / Data Entry Operator (DEO) / Court Clerk
Total No. of Posts : Tentatively the vacancies for the post of Postal Assistant/Sorting Assistant, LDC, DEO and Court Clerks are 3281, 1321, 506 and 26 respectively.
Educational Qualification : Must have passed 12th Standard or equivalent examination from a recognized Board or University.
Age Limit : 18-27 years as on 01.01.2017 (Candidates born not before 02-01-1990 and not later than 01-01-1999).
Application Fees : Mode of payment of fee payable Rs. 100/-(Rupees One Hundred only).
Candidates may note that online application will be accepted at http://ssconline.nic.in only.
Fee paid in respect of online application through SBI Challan/Net banking and any credit and debit cards will be accepted.
Scheme of Examination : The examination will consist of a Computer-based Written Examination (Tier-I), Descriptive Paper (Tier-II) and Typing Test/Skill Test (Tier-III) Examination for the post of Data Entry Operator, Postal Assistant & Sorting Assistant (PA/SA), Lower Division Clerk and Court
Clerk.
How to Apply : Interested Candidates may Apply Online Through official Website.
Advertisement : Click Here
Application Form : Click Here
Apply Online : Click Here
Important Dates :
Last Date to Apply Online : 07-11-2016
Date of Computer Based Examination (Tier-I): 07-01-2017 , 05-02-2017
Date of Tier-II (Descriptive Paper): 09-04-2017
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Postal stamp on 'Om Jai Jagadish' creator sought
Ludhiana: The birthday of Pandit Shradha Ram Phillauri, writer of the prayer 'Om Jai Jagadish Hare' -- which is sung in all the temples of the world and houses of Hindus -- was celebrated in Ludhiana on Friday. The demand for a commemorative postal stamp and establishment of a chair in his name was raised by members of various organizations on this occasion. In the function organized in Krishna Temple Hall of Model Town 21, people from various fields were honoured.
Krishna Kumar Bawa from the Pandit Shradha Ram Phillauri Welfare Association informed that Phillauri was born on September 30 in 1837 at Phillaur near Ludhiana. Phillauri's novels highlighted his endeavour to fight social evils like Sati and child marriage. His writings also advocated widow remarriage and education for women. Bawa informed that Queen Victoria's horoscope made by Phillauri was housed in a London museum.
"Importantly, 'Om Jai Jagadish Hare' was composed by him while singing in the streets, and now this prayer is sung by Hindus all over the world. It was on April 13, 1863, that this prayer was sung for the first time by him," said Bawa.
Source:-The Times of India
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Forthcoming Agitational Programmes by Postal JCA
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Recommendations of Seventh CPC with regard to EDP Cadre.
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Receipt of monetary benefits in the form of sitting fees, bonus, share in profits, stock options etc by the employees of CPSEs.
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Appointment of officers working in the Ministries/Departments under CSS/Non-CSS posts to National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog under Central Staffing Scheme on lateral shift basis.
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Confederation News : AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING TO BE HELD ON 25.10.2016
Ref: Confdn/Standing Committee/2016-17 Dated – 15.10.2016
To
Com Shiva Gopal Mishra
Secretary, Staff Side, NC/JCM
13-C, Ferozeshah Road,
New Delhi -110001
Dear Comrade
We have seen the items already sent to the Govt for discussion in the Standing Committee of Meeting which include
JCM function 2. Compassionate Appointment 3.Non implementation of decisions taken at 46thMeeting of the National Council 4. Reduction of one day PLB in defence establishment, 5. LTC-relaxation of air travel, 6. HRA for those who vacated govt quarters, 7. Restoring interest free advances, 8. Entry pay for promotees, 9. Grant of 3rd MACP, 10. Dental treatment, 11.Income criteria for dependants, 12. Re-imbursement of actual medical expenses, 13. Carry forward of Earned Leave
We send herewith the following items for inclusion in the agenda. We shall be grateful if the same is forwarded to the official side urgently.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours faithfully,
(M. Krishnan)
Secretary General
1. Amendment to the definition of anomaly as notified by Government in the orders of constitution of anomaly committees at various level.
The DOPT&T has notified the definition of anomaly arising from the 7th CPC recommendation vide their OM No. 11/2/2016-JCA dated 16th August 2016 as under:
“(1) Definition of Anomaly
Anomaly will include the following cases
(a) Where the Official Side and the Staff Side are of the opinion that any recommendation is in contravention of the principle of the policy enunciated by the 7th Central Pay Commission itself without the Commission assigning any reason, and
(b) Where the maximum of the Level in the Pay Matrix corresponding to the applicable Grade Pay in the Band Band under the pre-revised structure as notified vide CCS (RP) Rules 2016 is less than the amount an employee is entitled to be fixed at as per the formula for fixation of pay contained in the said Rules”
The Anomaly normally arises due to the recommendation of the Pay Commission having been acted upon without going into the ramification of such action on similarly placed employees in various other organisations.
In this connection, we may refer to the OM No. 19/97-JCA, DOP&T, dated the February 6, 1998 where the anomaly was defined as under, on reaching an agreement between the Staff Side and the Group of Ministers on 11.9.1997.
“(1) Definition of Anomaly
Anomaly will include the following cases:
(a) Where the Official Side and the Staff Side are of the opinion that the vertical/horizontal relativities have been disturbed as a result of the Fifth Central Pay Commission Report in a manner leading to grave dissatisfaction and adverse impact on efficiency;
(b) Where the Official Side and the Staff Side are of the opinion that any recommendation is in contravention of the principle of the policy enunciated by the 7th Central Pay Commission itself without the Commission assigning any reason, and
(c) Where the maximum of the Level in the Pay Matrix corresponding to the applicable Grade Pay in the Band Band under the pre-revised structure as notified vide CCS (RP) Rules 2016 is less than the amount an employee is entitled to be fixed at as per the formula for fixation of pay contained in the said Rule
(d) Where the amount of revised allowance is less than the existing rate”.
We request that the definition of anomaly may be replaced with what is stated in the OM dated February 6, 1998.
2. Withdraw the stringent conditions unilaterally imposed by Government for grant of Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) promotion and grant MACP on promotional hierarchy. Personnel promoted on the basis of examination should be treated as fresh entrant to the cadre for grant of MACP. The pre-appointment induction training period may be counted as regular service for grant of MACP as it is counted for increment.
It was in the background of extreme stagnation, especially in the lower cadres, the 5th CPC was approached for a promotional scheme which must not be linked with vacancies but on time bound basis. The 5th CPC in appreciation of the genuine aspirations of the low paid employees as also taking into account the practice followed in Government services of cetain State Govts introduced the ACP scheme assuring minimum two financial upgradations (promotions) in the service career of a person. The ACP, as is known when granted, does not make the incumbent to function in a post with higher responsibility but continue to be in same cadre/grade but with higher remuneration.
The 6th CPC did not make any great deviation of the scheme. But the Govt., acceding to the demand of the Staff Side, improved the 2 time-bound promotions as 3 promotions under the MACP scheme. However, while issuing the orders the scheme was made applicable, unlike ACP, only Grade Pay based financial upgradation as recommended by the 6th CPC. Between 2006-11, the Staff Side had pointed out on innumerable occasions, the anomalies the said decision created and having obtained no redressal the employees were driven to courts, whose decisions were not allowed to be given effect to.
The 7th CPC recommendations gave the impression that it has appreciated the concern of Staff Side and had suggested for a cadre hierarchy based MACP scheme. The order issued by the DOPT on 27.9.2016 belies that in as much as it is stated in Para 3.2 as under:
“The MACPS envisages merely placement in the immediate next higher level in the Pay Matrix as given in Part A of Schedule of the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016. Thus the level in the Pay Matrix at the time of financial upgradation under the MACPS can, in certain cases where regular promotion is not between two successive levels in the Pay Matrix, be different than what is available at the time of regular promotion. In such cases, the higher level in the Pay Matrix attached to the next promotion post in the hierarchy of the convened cadre/organisation will be given only at the time of regular promotion”.
Besides, the Govt. has accepted the recommendation of 7th CPC in Para 5.1.45 making Bench-mark of ‘very good’ as the primary criterion for MACP.
We request that the order making MACP level bases hierarchy instead of cadre based hierarchy must be rescinded as the changed scheme has been less beneficial to large number of employees compared to ACP and it has given rise to anomalies in Pay between two schemes of employees in the same cadre.
Secondly, the stipulation of Benchmark “Very Good” for MACP is untenable and the MACP is only financial upgradation and does not devolve any additional responsibility and the individual concerned continues to function in the same grade and cadre even after grant of MACP. It may also be noted that “Very Good” is not a bench mark even today for promotion in Gr B and C cadres.
When the intention is only financial upgradation in view of the long number of years one has put in, the stipulation of Bench March “Very Good” is wrong and deserves to be withdrawn.
Two other issues requiring consideration and acceptable are:
(1) The personnel promoted to a cadre bases on examination must be treated as new direct entrant to that cadre and MACP to be related with the date of entry to that cadre;
(2) The pre-appointment induction training period is to be counted as regular service period for the purpose of MACP.
3. Removal of ambiguity in fixation of pay of re-employed Ex-Servicemen and grant of the same benefit extended to Commissioned officers to personnel Below officers Rank also.
The pay fixation of re-employed Ex-Service men who held the rank below commissioned officers/Group A at the time of their re-employment is not carried out in many departments as per Government orders on the subject issued from time to time due to misinterpretation/wrong clarification by the administrative authorities. The re-employed Ex-service men personnel below the officers Rank are being deprived the minimum pay of the post from which they are retired from Army, instead their pay is fixed at the minimum of the re-employed post only, whereas those who retired as commissioned officers/Group A is extended differential treatment and their pay is fixed at a higher stage due to their past service benefit. Fresh orders/amendments be issued free from any scope for misinterpretation/ambiguity, clearly mentioning the fixation of pay of the re-employed Ex-Service men belonging to below officer rank, at the same stage as the last pay drawn before retirement from army, ignoring the entire portion of pension since the pension is minuscule and not even enough to lead a decent living.
4. 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 (25.07.2016) in case of employees whose promotion become due after 25.07.2006.
As per the clarification issued by Department of Expenditure (Implementation cell) on 29th September 2016, in case and employee is promoted or upgraded to the higher pay structure (in the pre-revised pay structure) he may be permitted to exercise revised option as per FR 22 (i) (a) (i) to have his pay fixed under the Revised Pay Rules 2016, from the date of such promotion/upgradation or from the date of next increment. As per this rule and employee who is promoted/upgraded on 24.07.2016 (one day before the date of issue of notification) can opt for fixation of his revised pay on the date of next increment which falls on 01.07.2017. This facility is available only for those employees who are promoted before 25.07.2016 (date of notification of CCS (RP) Rules 2016). If an employee is due for promotion on 26.07.2016 (one day after the date of notification) he cannot opt to fix his revised pay under the CCS (RP) Rules 2016 on the date of next increment i.e. 01.07.2017. This is a clear case of discrimination and amounts to creation of a class within a class. Hence the option for fixation of pay under CCS (RP) Rules 2016 from the date of next increment, may be extended to the employees who are due for promotion after the date of issue of notification i.e. 25.07.2016 also.
5. Extension of the benefit of bonus calculation ceiling enhancement to Rs. 7000/- to Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) of the Postal department also.
The above benefit is yet to be granted to the GraminDakSevaks for want of approval of the Finance Ministry. The GDS Committee constituted to revise the wages and service conditions of GDS has already recommended to grant enhanced ceiling of Rs. 7,000/- to GDS also and their suggestion is pending with the Govt. for action. We request that orders enhancing the ceiling limit to RS 7,000/- may be issued immediately.
6. Regularise the services of casual labourers by absorbing them against vacant posts of MTS as one time measure.
Casual and contingent workers were engaged by various Departments to cope up the regular work especially in the period when the Ban on Recruitment/creation of posts was in operation. Such appointments had become necessary to ensure that the work does not suffer and the public at large are not put to difficulties. There had been despite the directive issued by DOPT in the past banning such engagement of casual labour. Over the years their number has increased manifold. These employees have put in several years of service. The omnibus order banning he recruitment does not spell out as to how the work assigned especially in operational and public dealing departments are to be carried out. Presently due to either delay on the part of the recruiting agency or for such unforeseen reasons in various departments, MTS posts are lying vacant and contract workers are engaged. The case of those who were employed against vacancies of permanent and perennial nature of jobs for regularization cannot be denied except in violation of the existing labour laws or on unethical ground. To address this, the DOPT must draw up a scheme for regularization of eligible candidates in Government service as a onetime measure.
7. Fill up all vacant posts including promotional posts in a time bound manner
Inspite of lifting of ban on filling up of vacant posts from 2010 onwards, in many departments posts are not being filled and an undeclared ban is in existence. The 7th CPC has stated that there are about six lakhs vacant posts in central services. Non-filling up of vacant posts has adversely affected the efficiency of many departments. Further many promotions posts are lying vacant due to abnormal delay in convening DPCs. Strict instructions may be issued to all departments to initiate action to fill up all vacant posts on top priority basis and also to convene the DPCs regularly for granting promotion to eligible officials.
8. Abolish and upgrade all posts of Lower Division clerks (LDCs) to Upper Division Clerks (UDCs).
The cadre of Lower Division Clerks in Govt of India service has now become redundant as many of the jobs assigned to them are part of the duty list of MTS and the rest is also assigned to UDCs. The abolition of Gr. D cadres and introduction of MTS with certain clerical functions and computerised functioning in all organisations of GOI have made the cadre presently superfluous. As pointed out, the UDCs whose educational qualification is Graduation has overlapping functions of LDCs. Major Deptt. of the Govt of India recognising this fact has reduced the cadre strength of LDCs. We therefore request that the existing No. of LDC posts in Government may be upgraded as one time measure as UDCs and the posts of LDCs totally abolished.
Shri D. K. Sengupta
Deputy Secretary (JCA)
Ministry of Personnel PG and Pension
Department of Personnel & Training
North Block, New Delhi – 110001
Sir,
Sub: - Agenda items for meeting of the JCM (NC) Standing Committee
Ref: - Your letter No. F. No. 3/3/2019-JCA-I dated 27.09.2016 addressed to Secretary, Staff Side
I forward herewith 8 additional items for inclusion in the agenda for the Standing Committee meeting slated for 25th October 2016.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully
(Shiva Gopal Mishra)
Secretary, Staff Side
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NFPE News : Meeting on allowances by Secy(Posts) on 19.10.2016
ALL GENERAL SECRETARIES OF NFPE UNIONS
A MEETING ON ALLOWANCES COMMITTEE HAS BEEN CONVENED BY SECRETARY POST ON 19th OCTOBER, 2016 AT COMMITTEE ROOM DAK BHAWAN, AT 03P.M.
SO PLEASE ATTEND MEETING IN TIME.
R.N. Parashar
Secretary General
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Here is why govt Twitter handles have been posting offensive, partisan messages
Hindustan Times : Oct 16, 2016
Recently, some official Twitter handles of union ministries and institutions posted offensive, partisan messages. This is against the original mandate of such bodies- they are only meant to broadcast government initiatives. How did these mess-ups happen?
You have failed us big time Mr Kejriwal, for your petty political gains you can become headlines for Pakistani press,” read a tweet on October 5 from @IndiaPostOffice, the official twitter handle of the Indian postal service.
It was a reference to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urging the Prime Minister to counter Pakistan’s propaganda over surgical strikes.
Within hours, India Post tweeted an apology saying that the account was hacked.
This is the latest in a series of opinions and statements posted from official twitter handles of government departments and bodies. Of late, the Twitter handles meant to broadcast information related to government programmes have appeared like personal accounts tweeting slander and criticism.
Last month, the Twitter handle of Digital India tweeted a poem in Hindi calling on the Indian Army to persistently fire at protesters in Kashmir.
In August, the Twitter handle of Startup India retweeted a post suggesting that the Indian Army should ‘take care’ of #Presstitutes, a reference to sections of Indian media critical of the government.
The tweets expose loopholes in the government’s social media policy and raise questions about the norms followed in the recruitment of social media professionals for ministries and government institutions.
WORK IN PROGRESS
The process of adopting new tools is work in progress. While the government agencies are trying to leverage social media to enhance citizen engagement, for the vast majority of government bodies, it is unexplored territory. Babus who have traditionally been dealing in paperwork and file notings are overwhelmed to see hash tags and trends. With a tech- savvy Prime Minister at the helm, every government department is trying to increase its digital footprint. At the same time, they face the challenge of reinterpreting existing work ethics and codes of conduct and applying them to the use of social media. Ministries such as the Ministry of External Affairs, Information & Broadcasting and the Prime Minister’s Office which have cohesive programmes and big mandate, have separate social media wings of their own with well- defined protocols. But these are exceptions.
Overall, the government bodies lack social media guidelines for their own efforts or which others can learn from. According to Chinmayi Arun, executive director, Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University, Delhi, mistakes are bound to happen given that everyone is new to social media. But it should be non-negotiable that when anything is said using an official governmental handle, the government should take more responsibility than just saying ‘oops’. “One of course is a clear and unequivocal statement apologising and taking back whatever was said. However, it should take pro-active measures to train and test people who handle its public-facing accounts and publish a clear monitoring and accountability mechanism by which they can be called to account. It should not be open to anyone to misuse the government’s official handles in this manner,” said Arun.
One of the areas where the lack of sensitisation is apparent is the usage of the same mobile device for multiple twitter handles – the most common reason for such goof-ups cited by social media consultants attached to various government departments. “I believe these were inadvertently posted by people handling these accounts. It may neither have been their mandate nor their intention. It happens when the person has configured multiple twitter handles from the same device and ends up posting from the wrong account,” said Amit Malviya, BJP’s National Convener, IT.
The majority of ministries and government departments do not give phones to members of the social media teams. It is up to the individual to use his personal device or get an additional one to manage the professional handle (s). A mistake will happen if a comment which was to be posted from the personal handle is posted from the official handle.
TWITTER GOOF-UPS FROM GOI ACCOUNTS
“Because of the personalised and individual nature of social media, it is easy to forget that they are representing an institution and not themselves when using these handles. This also suggests the lack of public usage training in these organisations, and the need to educate our public actors in using social media with more responsibility as office bearers of an institution rather than a personal expression or an opinion,” said Nishant Shah, co-founder of the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore.
Another issue is that access to the account is given to multiple people. “Each one of them brings their individual personality and politics to their operation of the handle,” said Shah.
HIRING ISSUES
Part of the problem lies in the fact that there is no standard protocol on who can access the twitter handle of Indian government bodies and how this person or team is hired.
A few ministries (example: the ministry of railways) have a team comprising of government employees and staff of private agencies handling their account. Others have outsourced the job to agencies.
During the campaigning for the 2009 election, political parties got outside expertise to mark their presence online. The selection parameters of social media consultants – established public relations firms in some cases and individuals in others – was not uniform.
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Unlike the traditional public relations officers who are from the Indian Information Services cadre, the social media consultants were selected based on their expertise in the field, political affiliation, and proximity to a party or leader.
Those who started handling social media accounts of political parties and leaders included trolls and social media influencers. “Parties got youngsters who were politically motivated and willing to work for political parties. They became cheaper alternatives for social media experts,” said Ishan Russel, political communication consultant.
After the NDA came to power, almost every ministry outsourced its digital expertise to agencies. Many individuals who were earlier directly working with leaders and parties got back with them via agencies. “If an agency is looking for people to handle the twitter account or Facebook page of a certain ministry in the BJP government, then those who are politically inclined towards the BJP will apply for the vacancies and their chances of getting hired are also much higher than someone who is neutral or known to be an AAP sympathiser,” said Vikas Pandey, 32-year-old software engineer, who headed the “I Support Namo” campaign on Facebook and Twitter, as a volunteer for the BJP.
Last year, the Prime Minister felicitated more than a dozen social media enthusiasts, including Vikas. The move raised eyebrows because many felt that the government was encouraging trolls. “It illuminates the fact that trolls have found gainful employment in the Government of India. Also that the entire edifice of the centre is being taken over by woefully undereducated bigots,” said Swati Chaturvedi, senior journalist and author.
AGENCY, THE SOFT TARGET
Till the time the government staff is well versed with social media tools, attributing the mistakes to an ‘outside agency’ appears to be the norm.
In the case of the twitter goof-up involving Startup India, Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman blamed a private agency that was managing the account of Startup India. “The retweets were done by an employee of the agency hired by the department of industrial policy and promotion. The person assigned by the agency for this particular job is not decided by the department and is the sole prerogative of the agency,” she said.
S Radha Chauhan, CEO of National e-Governance Division, attributed the controversial post from Digital India’s twitter handle to an agency called Trivone. “The person responsible had mistakenly tweeted from the official handle what he wanted to tweet from his personal account,” said Chauhan.
Those familiar with the functioning of the government’s social media verticals say that agencies are mentioned to cover up for mistakes often committed by someone from the government staff. “When in crisis, blame the agency, is the thumbrule the government follows. The fact is that each twitter post is approved by the client before it is posted,” said a senior executive with a digital marketing firm attached to a ministry which has recently earned lot of praise for its social media initiatives.
Nishtha Arora, social media and digital consultant in a reputed ad agency, was handling a political account till very recently. She said that the client required her to just randomly tweet or RT to be heard by the followers of a tech-savvy minister and be his digital mouthpiece. “I often had to draft tweets which looked like press releases,” she said.
“Digital faux pas is blamed on to someone who might be an expert in the field but yet has to bow down to the client pressure so that their agenda for the day is met and the said government body or ministry remains in the news,” she added.
Another issue is that access to the account is given to multiple people. “Each one of them brings their individual personality and politics to their operation of the handle,” said Shah.
HIRING ISSUES
Part of the problem lies in the fact that there is no standard protocol on who can access the twitter handle of Indian government bodies and how this person or team is hired.
A few ministries (example: the ministry of railways) have a team comprising of government employees and staff of private agencies handling their account. Others have outsourced the job to agencies.
During the campaigning for the 2009 election, political parties got outside expertise to mark their presence online. The selection parameters of social media consultants – established public relations firms in some cases and individuals in others – was not uniform.
Unlike the traditional public relations officers who are from the Indian Information Services cadre, the social media consultants were selected based on their expertise in the field, political affiliation, and proximity to a party or leader.
Those who started handling social media accounts of political parties and leaders included trolls and social media influencers. “Parties got youngsters who were politically motivated and willing to work for political parties. They became cheaper alternatives for social media experts,” said Ishan Russel, political communication consultant.
After the NDA came to power, almost every ministry outsourced its digital expertise to agencies. Many individuals who were earlier directly working with leaders and parties got back with them via agencies. “If an agency is looking for people to handle the twitter account or Facebook page of a certain ministry in the BJP government, then those who are politically inclined towards the BJP will apply for the vacancies and their chances of getting hired are also much higher than someone who is neutral or known to be an AAP sympathiser,” said Vikas Pandey, 32-year-old software engineer, who headed the “I Support Namo” campaign on Facebook and Twitter, as a volunteer for the BJP.
Last year, the Prime Minister felicitated more than a dozen social media enthusiasts, including Vikas. The move raised eyebrows because many felt that the government was encouraging trolls. “It illuminates the fact that trolls have found gainful employment in the Government of India. Also that the entire edifice of the centre is being taken over by woefully undereducated bigots,” said Swati Chaturvedi, senior journalist and author.
AGENCY, THE SOFT TARGET
Till the time the government staff is well versed with social media tools, attributing the mistakes to an ‘outside agency’ appears to be the norm.
In the case of the twitter goof-up involving Startup India, Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman blamed a private agency that was managing the account of Startup India. “The retweets were done by an employee of the agency hired by the department of industrial policy and promotion. The person assigned by the agency for this particular job is not decided by the department and is the sole prerogative of the agency,” she said.
S Radha Chauhan, CEO of National e-Governance Division, attributed the controversial post from Digital India’s twitter handle to an agency called Trivone. “The person responsible had mistakenly tweeted from the official handle what he wanted to tweet from his personal account,” said Chauhan.
Those familiar with the functioning of the government’s social media verticals say that agencies are mentioned to cover up for mistakes often committed by someone from the government staff. “When in crisis, blame the agency, is the thumbrule the government follows. The fact is that each twitter post is approved by the client before it is posted,” said a senior executive with a digital marketing firm attached to a ministry which has recently earned lot of praise for its social media initiatives.
Nishtha Arora, social media and digital consultant in a reputed ad agency, was handling a political account till very recently. She said that the client required her to just randomly tweet or RT to be heard by the followers of a tech-savvy minister and be his digital mouthpiece. “I often had to draft tweets which looked like press releases,” she said.
“Digital faux pas is blamed on to someone who might be an expert in the field but yet has to bow down to the client pressure so that their agenda for the day is met and the said government body or ministry remains in the news,” she added.
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Commemorative Postage Stamp on "Induction of C-130"
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