Books for competitive examinations.

This information may help our members and departmental officials preparing for examinations.

1.Books for IPO Examination

2. Books for Postmaster Grade I Exam

3. Guides for Direct PA / SA through Staff Selection Commission

4. Guides for LGO examination from MTS / Postman to the cadre of Postal Assistant

5. Books for Postal Exams ( MTS / POSTMAN ) and Syllabus

6. Book “DISCIPLINARY RULES ARE MADE SIMPLE”  question bank 575 MCQ type Q&A from P&T Manual Vol-III, CCS (CCA) Rules,1965 & CCS (Conduct)Rules,1964.

P.Karunanithy (Retd. Supdt)

JEEVAJEGAN PUBLICATIONS,

No.5, MOOVENDAR NAGAR EAST,

MADURAI RESERVE LINES PO,

Madurai 625014. Mobile no. 09443329681.

Good News : CAT Ernakulam Bench OA No. 289/2013 judgement is in favour of Assocaition

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Last date of filing returns extended.

Declaration of Assets and Liabilities by public servants under the section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 - extension of last date for filling of revised returns by public servants who have filed property returns under the existing services rules has been extended to 15th April-2016.

Hyderabad CAT case no.296/2014 given in favour of applicants.

Good News : Hyderabad CAT case i/c/w grant of GP Rs.5400/- after completion of 4 years in GP of Rs. 4800/- decided in favour of applicants. copy of judgement is furnished below.

Mobile app for Public Grievances portal

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

21-October-2015 15:02 IST

Dr. Jitendra Singh launches Mobile app for Public Grievances portal

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the Mobile Application for the Centralized Public Grievances Redress & Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) here today.

In this direction a further step has been taken by providing M-access to citizens through mobile phones. A Quick Response (QR) code has been provided on the pg-portal which can be scanned on to the smart phone after which grievances can be sent from the smart phone directly on to CPGRAMS.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said this is another step towards translating the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “ART of Governance” as spelt out by him, with A for Accountability, R- Responsibility and T- Transparency, forming the bedrock of the Government. He said the goal is that the Administration should be citizen centric, transparent and responsive. Dr. Jitendra Singh said more than six lakh public grievances have been settled since the NDA Government assumed office. This data will form the resource material to improve the Governance, he added.

Dr. Jitendra Singh hoped the common public will make maximum use of the mobile app since the mobile phone has emerged as the easiest way of communication from anywhere across the country.

In his address, Secretary, DARPG and Secretary, Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare, Shri Devendra Chaudhary said the mobile app will not only allow lodging of grievances, but the people can also track the status of the redress of their grievance. The DARPG is also carrying out analysis of the grievances and a systematic response is being worked out on how best to address the grievances, he added.

Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, Shri Sanjay Kothari was also present during the launch function.

The Mobile App for the CPGRAMS is another innovative initiative of the DARPG, the nodal agency to formulate policy guidelines for citizen-centric governance in the country, redress of citizens’ grievances, being one of the most important initiatives of the department. The DARPG has been making endeavours to bring excellence in public service delivery and to redress grievances of citizens in a meaningful manner by effectively coordinating with different Ministries and Departments of the Government and trying to eliminate the causes of grievances.

CPGRAMS is a Government of India portal aimed at providing the citizens with a platform for redress of their grievances. Grievances received on this platform are redressed by the concerned Ministry/Department/State. CPGRAMS was launched by DARPG in technical consultation with NIC in 2007. More than 16 lakh grievances have been lodged since January 1, 2012. In last 12 months nine lakh grievances have been lodged and 6.47 lakh disposed off. 

Vijaya Dashami greetings to all the members and track viewers.

Govt Doubles Monthly Bonus Calculation Ceiling To Rs 7,000 ( W.e.f April 1, 2015 )

“The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to enhance the monthly bonus calculation ceiling to Rs 7,000 per month from existing Rs 3,500 was approved by Union Cabinet here,” a source said after the Cabinet meeting.

The amendment bill will be made effective from April 1, 2015. Now the bill will be tabled in Parliament for approval.

The bill also seeks to enhance the eligibility limit for payment of bonus from the salary or wage of an employee from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 21,000.

The Payment of Bonus Act 1965 is applicable to every factory and other establishment in which 20 or more persons are employed on any day during an accounting year.

The bill also provides for a new proviso in Section 12 which empowers the central government to vary the basis of computing bonus.

At present, under Section 12, where the salary or wage of an employee exceeds Rs 3,500 per month, the minimum or maximum bonus payable to employees are calculated as if his salary or wage were Rs 3,500 per month.

The last amendment to both the eligibility limit and the calculation ceilings under the said Act was carried out in 2007 and was made effective from April 1, 2006.

This amendment in the Act to increase wage ceiling and bonus calculation ceiling was one of assurances given by the Centre after 10 central trade unions went on one-day strike on September 2.

The government had hinted at meeting workers’ aspirations on nine out of 12 demands submitted by the unions.

PTI

Revising Retirement age does not come under the purview of 7th Pay Commission

Recently the news about retirement age is blown out of proportion in Social Media. In Social Media it has been signaled casually that the retirement age will be brought down to 58 years. Initially it was said that 7th pay commission going to recommend the criteria for retirement age as either 33 years of Service or 60 Years of age whichever comes first.

And gradually it is reduced to 58 years of age or 33 years of service and finally ends up with 30 years of service or at the age of 55 years.

7th pay commission Vs Retirement Age

Does it worth to believe the news circulated in social media about 7th pay commission recommendation and retirement age..? We asked the Federation sources about this and they want to maintain anonymity told that it depends upon the individuals to decide whether it is true or not. We should not blame the media for everything. We should be able to know the difference between the news and rumors.

One of our Sources told that revising the retirement age will not fall under the purview of Pay commission. It should be decided by central government only. No Pay commission has recommended anything about Retirement age so far.

Federation Leaders were asked about this retirement age issue, when it became sensational in Print and e-Media, why don’t they come forward to clear the doubts on this sensational issue?. They told that they didn’t want do give importance to the rumors and hear says.

They said, “We need to clarify the doubts of our cadres across the country whenever it was rumored in social media about their service related sensational issues. But when sensational becomes routine, it’s not our business to respond to such hearsays on daily basis”

“As far as retirement age is concerned we know that 7th pay commission cannot recommend revising the retirement age of central government employees, since it does not fall under the purview of 7th Pay Commission. Even we won’t accept it if the central government tries to reduce the retirement age,” the sources added.

Source: http://govtstaffnews.in/

BSNL To Allow Landline Users Avail Free Call Benefit On Mobile

New Delhi: BSNL mobile subscribers will soon be able to avail free calling benefits offered on their landline phone as the state-run firm is going to roll out a convergence platform that will sync subscribers’ mobile and fixed line connections.

“We are in the process of rolling out fix mobile convergence platform by Diwali. This will enable consumers avail value added service in mobile phones, make free night calls from mobile phones if they have subscribed to landline and host of other modern facilities,” BSNL Chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.

He said that with this roll out, consumers will be able to link their mobile and landline accounts.

“The sync between the two accounts will be such that it will enable our subscribers receive their landline calls on mobile phones,” Shrivastava said.

BSNL has invested over Rs 400 crore to modernise its landlines.

The company slipped to sixth position in terms of overall subscriber base in April. At the end of August, BSNL’s total subscriber base was around 7.8 crore. After a long period, BSNL in July and August 2015 ranked among top five mobile players in terms of net addition of monthly subscribers.

BSNL, however, has been losing customers in landline space despite offering free night calls from landline to any phone in India.

“We have been able to arrest decline rate in landline connections. In a few months and with launch of fix mobile convergence, our landline should turn positive. We have already turned gainer for mobile subscribers under mobile number portability scheme,” Shrivastava said.

The company has launched free roaming scheme which enables its subscribers to attend free incoming calls while travelling anywhere in the country at no extra cost.

“Free roaming scheme has become one of the major growth drivers for uptake in mobile subscriber number,” Shrivastava added.

The company is also in the process to tie up with Hitachi’s ATM business unit which will allow its landline customers, who pay bill offline, to make payment anytime during the day.

“Many landline users still pay bill at our counter. The counters are open for limited time and between peak office hours i.E. 10am – 2pm. We are partnering with Hitachi. It will install ATM at our premise which will also accept cash. BSNL customers will be able to pay their bills at this ATM as per their convenience,” Shrivastava said.

He said that Hitachi ATM machines will be rolled out initially in small cities around March 2016.

BSNL will also get revenue share from each transaction made on ATMs installed in its premise.

Source: PTI

Rates of Bonus for Rural Postal Life Insurance for 2011-12 - Gazette Notification

The following bonus rates are announced by the directorate for the year-2011-12.

Type of Insurance Policy	Rate of Bonus
i.  Whole Life Assurance (WLA)	Rs.65/- per thousand Sum Assured
ii. Endowment Assurance (Including Children Policy)	Rs.50/- per thousand Sum Assured
iii.  Anticipated Endowment Assurance (Including GY Policies)	Rs.47/- per thousand Sum Assured
iv.   Convertible Whole Life Assurance	Whole life bonus rate would be applicable  but on conversion endowment bonus rate will be applicable.

CAT Case : Upgradation of GP of Inspector Posts....updates!!!

It is reported by Shri Ajith Kuriaon Ex-CS Kerala Circle that IP Grade Pay case disposed of by Hon'ble CAT Ernakulam Bench directing the Finance Ministry or else the 7th CPC to examine the case and rectify the anomaly. 

The copy of judgement is not received. Kerala circle is in touch with lawyer.  
 

Commemorative Stamp on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam – 15th October 2015.

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen "A. P. J." Abdul Kalam (b. 15 October 1931 – d. 27 July 2015) was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was intimately involved in India's civilian space program and military missile development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He also played a pivotal organizational, technical, and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.

Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002. Widely referred to as the "People's President," he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, aged 83.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi released the commemorative stamp on the former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on his 84th birth anniversary celebrations, at DRDO Bhawan, in New Delhi on 15th October, 2015. The Union Ministers, Shri Manohar Parrikar, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad and Dr. Harsh Vardhan were also present on the occasion.

We all solute to the great missile man on his 84th birth day.

Photo Courtesy: PIB

Claiming of medical expenditure for tax purposes made easy

Press Information Bureau 

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

14-October-2015 15:43 IST

One of the pillars of the of the taxation proposals included in the Finance Minister’s Budget Speech for 2015-16 was extension of benefits to the middle class. In this process, the Finance Minister announced extension of certain benefits in respect of medical treatment under section 80DDB. This section allows a deduction for expenditure incurred on treatment of specified ailments.

Taking the process forward, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued a Notification vide S.O. No.2791 (E) on 12th October 2015 amending Rule 11DD. The amended Rule relaxes the condition of obtaining the certificate for claiming expenditure under section 80DDB in respect of specified ailments from a specialist working in a Government hospital. As per amended Rule 11DD, the prescription can be issued by any specialist mentioned in the amended Rule. Henceforth, it will not be mandatory to obtain a certificate from a specialist working in a Government hospital.

The Notification is available on the website of the Income Tax Department www.incometaxindia.gov.in .

Source: PIB.

Policy for supply of Staff cars and Inspection Vehicles to CPMG/PMG/DPS/SPOs

Postal Directorate vide letter no 2-2/2007MV(pt) dated 07.10.2015 has communicated the approved models of vehicles to be used as staff cars for CPMG/PMG and Inspection Vehicles for DPS/SSP/SPOs in Dept of Posts and the procedure to be followed to procure the vehicles.

Singapore: World's first drone postal delivery takes place on Pulau Ubin island

By Mary-Ann Russon

October 8, 2015 10:52 BST

Singapore has carried out the world's first point-to-point postal delivery by drone SingPost and IDA 

Singapore has successfully performed the world's first delivery of mail by drone, conducting a test flight carrying a letter and a parcel with a T-shirt, which crossing from one island to another.

 

While there have been other similar postal-delivery-by-drone trials conducted by DHL in Germany, Swiss Post in Switzerland and thePosti Group in Finland, Singapore Post (SingPost) claims that this is the first time that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been used for point-to-point recipient-authenticated mail delivery. 

The drone took off from Lorong Halus, a wetland area on the eastern bank of Serangoon Reservoir on mainland Singapore, and flew 2km to the delivery location within just five minutes across open water to Pulau Ubin, one of Singapore's 60 offshore islands, preserved as a rural area of beauty. 

The SingPost Alpha Drone 

The SingPost Alpha Drone was built by SingPost in collaboration with IDA Labs, the research arm of the government agency Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). 

It can carry a payload weighing up to 500g and travel a maximum distance of 2.3km, but it cannot fly any higher than 45m, which is far below the maximum height of 400m established by civil aviation authorities in Europe and the US.

 

A map showing the flight path taken by the Alpha drone to make its first ever mail deliverySingPost and IDA 

The drone uses technology from the open source Pixhawk Steadidrone platformtogether with a new experimental delivery platform developed by SingPost and tied to a mobile app. 

"This drone technology is tailored for use in dense urban landscapes. It is energy-efficient and reduces carbon footprint as it is fully battery-operated," said Dr Bernard Leong, head of digital services at SingPost. 

"We have developed a customised solution app equipped with security features and authentication functions to ensure that mail and packages are delivered to the intended recipient. Through this app, users will be able to select their preferred delivery date and time to suit their schedules." 

Still a way to go before drone deliveries take off 

Drone delivery might sound very exciting, but realistically even Singapore, which is known for its early adoption of emerging technologies, admits that it will be some time before UAVs become a regular sight in the sky. 

"Although it will be a while before it is viable for drone mail delivery to take off in Singapore, taking into consideration commercial and safety factors; this first step by SingPost and IDA demonstrates what Singapore is trying out with our Smart Nation vision – to have the various parts of our ecosystem collaborate, experiment with new ways of doing things, and in the process, literally aim for the sky with new technology," said Jacqueline Poh, managing director of IDA. 

Drone guidelines set out by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, following the passing of the Unmanned Aircraft (Public Safety and Security) Bill in August 2015CAAS

Singapore allows anyone to fly drones within their line of sight, but commercial users must obtain an operator permit and an activity permit, following the passing of the Unmanned Aircraft (Public Safety and Security) Bill in August. Even recreational users are required to apply for an activity permit if they choose to fly the UAV outdoors, but no permit is required if the drone is flown indoors or in an area not affecting the general public.

The Singapore government is keen to push the use of drones in order to ease manpower constraints in the country. In February, local restaurant chain Timbre Group made international news for trialling drone waiters to help deliver food from its kitchens.

Source  : http://www.ibtimes.co.uk

PSI invited to attend International Conference at Indonesia

Public Services International (PSI) affiliated union in Indonesia namely Serikat Pekerja BPJS Ketenagakerjaan (SP BPJS TK)is holding a Social Security and Pension Conference in Bali, Indonesia on 19-23 October 2015. PSI Asia Pacific Regional Organisation has invited the following members of our Association to take part in the International Conference on Social Security. 

1. Shri Vilas Ingale - Sr. PM, Thane HO (Maharashtra) and General Secretary 

2. Shri Manjunatha Hubballi - ASP, Haveri Sub Division (NK Region) and Circle Secretary, Karnataka Circle

3. Shri G. Babu - ASP, Avadi Camp Sub Division (Tambaram Division) and Assistant Circle Secretary, Tamil Nadu Circle

The conference will be held in Patra Bali Resort and Villas, J1.Ir. H.Juanda, South Kuta Beach, Tuban, Denpasar, Bali 80361 (Indonesia). 

Conference Period : 19-10-2015 to 23-10-2015.

AP Circle Association conveys best wishes and happy journey to above officers.

ASP Promotions and reallotments.

Reallotment and promotions in ASP cadre issued by the Circle Office on 14.10.2015.  Association conveys best wishes to IPs who  are entering gazetted cadre and ASPs who got re-allotment to their requested Regions. One more DPC for ASP is expected after Group "B" promotion list released.